Escalation
by Erinskie
Summary: School is out and the summer time weather is heating up. Just like the unforseen feud between the socs and the greasers and everything in Scout's life! Continuation story of Coming of Age & Family Bond. COMPLETE Reviews appreciated! 3rd in series of 6
1. Default Chapter

**Authors Note: **_Please note this is a sister story, part 3 of 4. This story is a continuation of Family Bond & Coming of Age. The story line chronicles the life of Scout Marie Curtis. I would suggest starting the series from the beginning, but if not here is a little something from her past to get you started: _

**_In my brother's gang they often called me by my nickname, Sissy. My oldest brother Darrel actually gave me the name when I was about seven. All of the boys in the neighborhood wrestled and played rough... Darry always told me to get into the game. One day I told him I didn't want to get hurt and he has called me Sissy ever since. For the longest time my parents thought he called me Sissy because I was the little sister. They were not to happy to hear the truth later that Darry was actually teasing me _**_- Story excerpt from Family Bond _

_Scout is the 'seven minutes younger' twin sister to Ponyboy, her intelligence and common sense levels are higher than her twin's yet she is more analytical like Darry and less creative then Pony. She is very quiet and shy and not a "greaser girl". She is tough when she needs to be, but prefers to stay clear of violence whenever possible. She gets along very well with all of her brothers, even Darry. _

_Under the watchful eyes of her brothers she has many new experiences: _

**_ I smiled at him and a cool breeze forced me to shiver. _**

**_"Are you cold Scout?" My shiver gave James a reason to move closer to me. He took his jacket off and draped it over my shoulders. He stopped the swing and leaned in close to me. "Is that better?" _**

**_I looked over at him. He was gentle and my heart started to flutter a little as my hands started to sweat. I had never been this close to a boy and had no idea what to expect or to do. "I'm warm, thank you." _**

**_"There you go being all proper again." James dimples reappeared as he grabbed my bottle of Pepsi and put it on the wooden floor of the porch. Then he put his hand on my leg, leaned in close and slowly kissed me on the lips. – _**_Story excerpt from Coming of Age. _

_If you enjoy sister stories or any story that is written well you may just find this series to be amazing, entertaining and able to keep your interest, others have. I hope you enjoy!) _

** Disclaimer: ** This fanfiction entry is based on the book, The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton. Many of the characters in this story are her creation and I thank her for creating them and allowing so many writers to borrow them for our writing hobby.

**Chapter one**

The last week of school was always bitter sweet for me. On one hand I was happy to be free for the summer, but on the one hand I knew that in just a few weeks I would be bored and wishing I had something to occupy my time better. Ponyboy totally disagreed with me. He loved the summer because it gave him more time to read the books he wanted to read, more time to draw and write poetry. See that is a big difference between Pony and I. He is the creative one.

The other bad thing about the last week of school is the final exams. I hate those! I don't know why but Pony and I both worry about those tests so most of the gang know not to come around the house the last week of school. If they do they will just find us stuck at the table or laid out in our bed reading and reviewing everything we had already read. The only person who dared to come around was Steve. Half because he would hang out with Sodapop and half because he cared about his grades too. Steve felt comfortable studying with us because we could help him with anything. Last year he and I were in the same geometry class and we did homework together almost every day.

Sitting in my room I stared at the pile of books that were laid out on Sodapop's bed. I sighed heavy and began to stuff them into my knapsack. Today was the last day of school, testing day, and there wasn't anymore I could do except relax and hope I remembered everything clearly.

From the kitchen I could smell bacon and eggs cooking. Darry was making us a 'big test' day breakfast just like my dad used to do for us. He knew food fed the brain and it was an important fuel for the day. I walked into the kitchen and dropped my bag full of books with a thud on the floor. Soda and Ponyboy could be heard in the bathroom fighting over the hair oil and space by the mirror so I grabbed the plates to set the table.

Like clock work Steve, Two-Bit and Johnny came strolling through the door just in time for breakfast. I looked over at Darry and he cracked open more eggs.

"Hey ya'll" I greeted the gang and they answered "hey" back. The three boys spread out through the house. Steve followed Soda to his bedroom, Johnny joined Pony in the bathroom and Two-Bit strolled to the kitchen to see what Darry was making him for breakfast.

"Mmmm, looks good Darry!" Two-Bit grinned and Darry returned the gesture. Two-Bit grabbed seven glasses out of the cabinet and hauled them to the dining room. "Sissy you all ready for the final exams?"

"Yeah I guess so, you?"

Two-Bit laughed. "Shoot girl, I don't care if I pass any stupid test."

"Well you should." I put my hands on my hips. "You're a smart guy, you just don't try."

"Sissy I think you try hard enough for the both of us!" Two-Bit added before he went back into the kitchen to fetch the milk and juice for breakfast.

I yelled to him. "At the rate you're going you are going to be in the same graduating class as I am!"

He stuck his head back through the doorway. "Sounds good to me!"

Before I could respond Soda came strutting into the dining room and dominated the conversation with talk about his 'last day of school party' he was going to throw tonight for all of us. He promised it to be wild and crazy, and with Soda there we knew it would be.

After finishing my last exam early I sat at my school desk and thought about the weeks since the rumble. I hadn't seen or heard from James since that night. Ponyboy had told me that Curly said James dropped out of school, but it was ok because the two of them were working on a plan to get rich with out an education. At home I was sleeping better at night in my own room and I hadn't slept walked. Well at least if I did no one knew about it, not even me.

The bell rang signaling the release of a hundreds of kids for the summer. I climbed the stairs to my locker to grab my knapsack and check to be sure my locker was cleaned out. I pushed through the kids in the hall who were making summer plans and tossing garbage anywhere they pleased. Near my locker, socs row, kids from the other side of town were collecting in front of my locker. Cautiously I moved through the boys being sure to say excuse me and wait my turn.

Slowly the older soc boys moved away and let me open my locker and retrieve my belongings. I didn't look at them, but I knew they were watching me. Without making eye contact I shut my locker and turned to leave.

"See ya later grease!" I heard one of the boys call out and for a second I didn't believe he was speaking to me. Then his friend repeated the comment and a group of socs laughed. I kept walking and didn't respond. My mind thought about the words. It was the first time anyone had ever labeled me as a greaser and I didn't like it. It was also the first time I ever remember having any animosity toward that social group, but now I did and it was all because of just a few wealthy boys.

Steve didn't have a final exam last hour so he split from school early, so I met up with Two-Bit, Johnny and Ponyboy in the parking lot and we walked home together. "So Two-Bit did you even try to pass a test today."

Two-Bit smiled about his presumed unintelligence. "Not unless you call napping in three classes passing!"

Ponyboy rolled his eyes at our friend's comment. "Two-Bit you are crazy! I'll never understand why you bother coming to school at all."

"Me neither." Two-Bit cracked himself up as Ponyboy and Johnny lit up their cigarettes.

We had walked a handful of blocks with nothing important to say to each other. Each of us seemed consumed by our own personal thoughts. At least until a car load of Socs drove by and yelled "Greasers"! The insult was bad enough but then they upped the ante and whipped three empty beer bottles out of their car window at us.

"Look out!" Two-Bit called and tried to shield everyone from the shattering glass. When the Soc's pulled away he called out. "Morons!"

"Everybody alright?" Johnny's soft voice spoke up.

"Yeah I'm ok." Ponyboy answered, "I'm guessing Two-Bit is fine, if not he would have chased that car down and beat those socs." Johnny laughed and the two of them looked at their friend who was watching the road to see if the car was making a return visit.

"Scout you ok?" Johnny asked gently.

"Yeah I'll be fine."

"What do you mean?" Johnny asked and walked over to me. Unfortunately I had decided to wear a summer dress to school and a piece of the busted beer bottle cut the side of my leg and blood was trickling down my skin and into my shoe. "Scout you got a cut."

"I know," I wanted to be tough like Johnny was when he got cut up by his dad. "I'll be fine, I'll clean it up and put a band aid on it when I get home.

Two-Bit walked over and frowned at the wound. "I don't know what the deal is but them damn socs have been coming around way to much and yelling all the wrong things. One of these days we greasers are gonna get them good!"

"I don't understand why they just don't stay on their side of the city." Johnny added. "It aint like we go drivin' into their territory. Hell I don't see why they'd even want to come into ours."

"Just cause they think their tough." Pony answered his friend. "The whole thing is just stupid."

We finished the walk home without seeing the car again. Once we got to our block Two-Bit headed off to his house and when we got to our street Johnny went to his house and Pony and I continued.

Pony walked into the house and went straight to his room. I could tell he was tense about something and I wanted to know what so I followed him. "Pony what's the matter?"

"What do you mean what's the matter?" Pony asked truly annoyed by the question and he stuffed his knapsack up on a high shelf in his closet.

I laid down on his bed and enjoyed the warm breeze coming through his open window. I noticed the sweet smell of the lilac bushes in bloom. "You just seem mad about something."

"Well I am mad! And I don't know how you can't be!" Pony leaned up against the wall and hitched his thumbs into his belt loops.

I looked at him truly confused. "Can't be mad about what?"

"About being yelled at and having things thrown at us for no good reason!"

I had forgotten all about the incident but Pony hadn't. I realized it had probably been bothering him all the way home and he just didn't choose to talk about it. I had also forgotten about my cut and I sat up to be sure it was dry and I hadn't gotten any blood on my brother's bedspread. When all was ok I responded. "Pony… it's just words. You know mom and dad always told us to just ignore things like that."

Ponyboy paused and thought about the many talks our parents had given us about names never hurting us. "Yeah, but this time it was more than names." Pony laid down on his bed and propped his hands under the back of his head.

I laid down on Soda's side of the bed and looked over at my brother. It mad me sad that he was bothered and there wasn't anything I could do to change what had happened. "Don't worry 'bout it Pon. In just a few years we'll be out of here and off to college. We aint gonna be greasers our whole life."

"I know." Pony grumbled. "It just aint fair is all."

I sighed heavy and said nothing. Pony was right, but there wasn't anything either of us could say about fair. There was no clear definition about what fair was. Quietly we laid together and listened to the wind. "I sure like the smell of spring."

"Mmm hmm." Pony agreed as the wind brought in the not so welcome sound of Johnny's mother screaming at him from down the street.

Together we listened in silence and you could hear the woman screeching at her son to get the clothes off the line and then get inside to clean up the house. A moment later a few whacking sounds were heard and Pony and I sat up in his bed and could hear Johnny's father smacking him with something in the front yard. A few times Johnny yelled out that he was planning on doing what he was told but that didn't stop Johnny's dad from hitting him anyway.

Ponyboy and I looked at each other but neither of us spoke. We didn't have too. We had the same thought. What do we know about life not being fair, even with the loss of our parents the four of us still had each other. We had dinner together almost every night and a decent home. Johnny didn't have much of a home and when he went there he had no one who cared about him.


	2. Chapter two

Chapter two 

"Darry? Can I catch the bus and go to the library later this afternoon?" I asked my older brother as we finished up the dishes from lunch. Only a handful of summer days had past and I was getting restless and bored already.

Darry didn't want me to be going out alone too much, but I felt I was old enough to ride the bus across town to the library. Besides what trouble could I get into at the library?

Darry handed me a soapy dish to rinse. "I don't know Scout. By the time you get home it'll be dark and I don't really want you walking home alone from the bus stop."

I had been cooped up in my house and neighborhood for weeks and I really wanted to get out. "Aw, come on Darry! What if I have Soda meet me at the bus stop and he can walk me home… please?"

"Well what is Pony doing? He could go with you." Darry braced his arms on the edge of the sink and looked down at me.

"He and Johnny already have plans to go over to Curly Sheppard's house."

Darry rolled his eyes, he didn't care much for the Sheppard family. For a few seconds Darry thought to himself. I wondered what was going through his mind, but I didn't ask. Then he sighed hard, "Ok you can go… BUT! I'll drop you off at the bus stop before I go to work and you need to make sure Soda will walk you home."

"Thanks Darry!"

"Hey!" Darry grabbed the last of the dirty dishes and put them in the soapy water. "You tell Soda to be there ten minutes earlier then you need him and he doesn't leave there without you! Savvy?"

"Savvy!" I said. I was genuinely excited to be going to the Central public library. I hadn't been there for years. I loved to get a book and then sit outside by the fountain and read.

I made it very clear to Soda that he needed to be at the bus stop by the steel factory to pick me up. I told him 9pm because the bus wasn't suppose to arrive there until 9:10pm and I figured that would give me enough time. It's not that Soda is always late to things, but sometime he can be forgetful or not want to leave what he is doing, especially if he is having a lot of fun.

Central Library was just as I had remembered it when mom and dad would take me there. Before going in I sat on the edge of the fountain and watched the water dance and the moms and dads walk by with their children. My heart began to ache at the scene so I went inside to find a good novel to get wrapped up in for hours before I had to check out and hop the bus home.

Before I knew it the sky had begun to grow dark and it was time to leave. I asked the man at the reference desk for the time and he told me 8:05pm. Yikes! I had to hurry or I would miss my bus. I quickly checked out and ran through the cold drizzle to the corner for the bus. As I waited I zipped up Ponyboy's gray hooded sweatshirt that I was wearing and cracked open my book. Within a minute the bus arrived. I thought to myself how odd it was that the bus was early. It shouldn't have been there until eight fifteen and there was no way it took me ten minutes to run the block to the bus stop. As the bus doors open I scrambled aboard. I like to sit in the back where the light was kept on so I could read. I propped my feet up on the seat in front of me and got lost in the story.

By the time I reached the bus stop in my neighborhood the sky was cloudy and the moonlight wasn't showing through. It was dark and that was a problem for me because I spook myself easy with my wild imagination, and the book I was reading was a murder mystery! I stood there in a pair of hand me down jeans with my blue t-shirt tails hanging out from the bottom of my gray sweatshirt. I may have looked like a boy, but I was comfortable. Minutes past.

Where is Soda, I though to myself. Then I began to count so I could try to tell how many minutes had passed. By the time I got to six hundred I was pissed and figured he had forgotten about me. Man was Darry ever going to be mad! I waited around for a few more minutes. I thought about how chilly and wet I was getting and that if I had started walking I would have been home by now. Oh forget it! I though again and decided to start home. Besides, Soda was probably there hanging out with Steve or Sandy.

The walk wasn't too far. It was about two blocks to the park and then three more blocks from there to our house. I also knew that Soda would walk the same route, so I expected to run into him.

I came down a street that headed to the park. The street light had been busted or burnt out. The neighborhood was dark and full of abandoned houses and businesses that were closed for the night. Up ahead I could see the lights from the park illuminating against the cloudy sky. I pulled my sweatshirt hood up over my head because my ears were getting cold and folded my arms across my chest with my book tucked close to my body. Then I heard something… something out of place… I turned and looked behind me and noticed a pair of headlights coming fast. I stopped for a moment and waited thinking it was Soda. Steve often let Soda drive his car and Soda rarely drives the speed limit.

I listened to the car engine and right before my eyes figured it out my ears clued me into the fact that the car was not from out neighborhood. Just as my vision refocused from the glare of the headlights I noticed a newer Pontiac GTO. Unexpectedly four teenage boys jumped out of the car before it even came to a complete stop. Socs!

It took my brain a second to realize I was in trouble as I heard a boy holler, "Get him! Get that greaser and lets show him what the other half thinks of his kind!"

Get him? Who is "him"? I thought, then I became aware of my appearance and realized they were there to teach me a lesson. I turned and ran full speed to the park just before the closest boy was able to grab me. I knew I was fast, but I was also short so the boys would undoubtedly catch up if they had any speed at all. One thing I didn't bet on was what happened next.

Three of the boys jumped onto the long hood of the GTO and the driver sped down the road beside me. Before I could cross the street to the park one of the socs dove from the hood and tackled me to the ground. The book I had in my grasp went flying through the air and I was on my stomach trying to crawl away when the soc delivered a hard right handed punch to my temple. I barely had time to realize how much it hurt when the second punch was delivered.

"Leave me alone!" I cried and heard someone laugh saying I screamed like a girl. That was it. They didn't know I was a girl. I managed to wiggle my right arm free from under my body and wrap it around my head to shield myself from another blow. The socs noticed, but didn't plan to let up.

I heard one of them say "flip him over and lets rearrange his greasy face!" The strong boy who was sitting on top of me grabbed my arms, pulled them behind my back and pulled me up on my knees. I looked up and wanted to tell them to let me go, but a kid in a dark colored madras jacket punched me in the gut and knocked the wind out of me. I opened my mouth again to scream as the same boy threw a hard punch at my face. My head cocked back knocking the sweatshirt hood off of my head. My soft brown curls revealed themselves as my head fell forward again. I was dizzy and couldn't think straight.

"Oh man! It's a girl! Let her go and let's get out of here!"

The boy holding my arms spoke next and I could smell liquor on his breath. "Naw let's take her and throw her down by the tracks with all the rest of the greaser trash!" Then he laughed, but his buddies didn't agree.

An entirely new voice spoke up. "Nah man, John just drop her and let's go."

John refused to let go and came up with another plan. My senses started to come back to me as I heard his next suggestion. "I say we keep her and have our way with her, who'll care?" I comprehended what he said and began to fight to get loose and scream for help. I tried to pull hard to get free and noticed a second set of headlights coming towards the group. Oh no, God please not more of them.

A few of the socs backed up toward their car except John and his friend in the madras jacket, they were staying to see what was coming. The incoming car's tires screeched to a halt and the doors flew open. I heard Sodapop's voice swearing obscenities as I broke from John's grasp. The soc reached out to me and caught my converse tennis shoe. I fell to the ground again as my shoe slipped off and freed me again to stumble closer to the car. I didn't go back for it. I was headed to the car as Soda, Steve and Two Bit were headed to the Socs.

I stumbled a few feet away and turned to see the five rich kids fighting with the three greasers. Two-Bit cold cocked one soc in the head sending him to the ground. Two-Bit moved to help Steve who was getting double teamed by John and another kid. I blinked through my tears and noticed my brother Soda was in trouble too. These socs were tough and it wasn't fair that Soda was getting two timed so I stumbled back in pain and jumped on the back of the boy in the madras jacket. I pulled his hair and he and I fell backwards into the grass. This gave Sodapop the advantage and he quickly pummeled the other boy. Off to the side I was going to be in trouble again when the boy lying on top of me grabbed my hand and painfully squeezed my fingers forcing me to lose my grip.

"Let's get outta here!" The driver of the car yelled and honked the horn. The madras boy stood up and kicked me in the side before running to the safety of his car.

As the final socs climbed into the GTO Soda raced to my side, "Sissy? Sissy are you ok?" Soda held my head in his hands and a look of horror splashed onto his face as he noticed the blood running from my nose and mouth. I couldn't answer him. All I could do was shake and cry. I couldn't believe this had happened. I couldn't understand why someone would just jump out of a car and beat an innocent human being. I wasn't like that, my brothers weren't like that. "Scout you are bleeding, talk to me. Are you ok?"

I breathed in deep and shook my head yes. Soda took me in his arms and pulled my body close to his and whispered. "Shhhhhh, come on now it's ok. Shhhhhh come on baby girl it's gonna be alright." For a few minutes he just rocked back and forth with me in his arms as we sat in the damp grass. Steve and Two-Bit knelt down beside us.

Steve pulled gently at my hair to try and see my face in the light from his car's headlights. "Hey Soda is she ok?" I didn't hear Soda answer. He just held me tight and continued to rock me with his head buried in my hair. A few times I though I felt his chest palpate and then I realized his was crying too.

"Hey Soda." Two-Bit spoke quietly to him. "Maybe we oughtta get her in the car and take her home?" Sodapop didn't respond and this time I was sure it was because he was crying too. Two-Bit tugged softly on his arm. "Come on Sodapop lets get her home."

Soda pulled his head away from my hair and snapped. "Why her huh? Why my little sister! She never did anything to anyone!" Everyone could tell Soda was pissed and I knew the only one who could calm him down was me.

I steadied my breathing and told Soda I wanted to go home. We stood up and took a few steps toward the car when I was aware that I only had one shoe on. "Soda, my shoe? My shoe got pulled off, and my book from the library." The gang looked around in the dark with the assistance from the headlights. Two-Bit found the shoe and Soda and I found the book. I climbed in to the backseat of Steve's car and calmed down a little more. I knew I was safe now. That's why I loved the gang so much. Everyone looked out for each other whether is was Steve and Dally watching Soda's back in a fight or Darry paying for Johnny's stitches or Pony and I helping Steve with his homework when he needed it and Two-Bit always being there to make us forget about our troubles.


	3. Chapter three

Chapter three 

We got home and I went straight to the bathroom to clean the blood off my face and check the damage. "Oh man Soda, look." Sodapop was right by my side and he winced when he saw my bruised right check and the start of a black swollen eye. "What is Darry going to say?" I asked as I touched my tender cheek.

Two-Bit and Steve had been standing in the doorway. Two-Bit spoke up. "Scout I'll get you some ice for that," and he left for the kitchen.

Steve leaned against the wall with his thumbs hooked into his belt loops and spoke up with his drawl. "Sissy didthose socschase you from the bus stop?"

I snapped a glare back at Steve and noticed Soda step back and place his hands on his hips ready to hear the story. "NO! I had to walk home because I didn't think you guys were coming. I was standing there at the bus stop for forever."

Soda's drawl matched Steve's. "What are you talking about? We left the house just a few minutes after nine o'clock."

I looked back at Soda's eyes, they were sincere and Steve was shaking his head in agreement.

Two-Bit arrived back in the doorway with ice in a wet towel. Before I put it on my cheek I asked him to check the time. He looked at me funny then looked at the clock. "It's nine twenty five, why?"

I stepped back and sat on the edge of the tub. I placed the cold ice pack on my swollen face and tried to figure out the timeline. There was no way it could be nine twenty five if I had waited at the bus stop for nearly fifteen minutes. Then I remembered a quirk that some people had about setting their watch ahead so they would never be late. "I bet the guy at the library had his watch set ahead when he told me the time." I thought some more. "That would explain why the bus came so quick. It wasn't the eight fifteen bus, it was the seven forty five bus." I pulled the cold bundle of ice away from my cheek and muttered to my brother. "I messed up. What an I gonna tell Darry?"

Soda casually blew off my worry. "Don't sweat it Scout. Darry aint gonna kill ya or nothing. He'll understand it was just a mistake." Soda was right, Darry would understand, if it was Soda who got jumped, but not me. He was hypersensitive about my protection and he would not be pleased that I messed up the plan that we had made.

"Soda! He's not gonna let me go anywhere again until I'm eighteen! Look at my face!" I yelled and made the bones in my face hurt even more.

Soda knew I had a good point. Which meant my second oldest brother was going to come up with a plan as he jogged out of the bathroom and returned a minute later with one of his work hats from the DX. "Here put this on." Soda lowered the cap onto my head and pulled the bill close to my eyes. "There just wear this around the house for a few days and Darry will never see your black eye. Just keep your head down low."

Steve said what I was thinking. "Soda you're an idiot. Darry will never fall for that!"

"Sure he will." Soda argued. "Sissy is always wearing me and Pony's clothes he aint gonna think nothing if she wears my hat."

Before we could finish arguing the merits of the plan the front screen door slammed shut, someone was home. Two-Bit looked over and greeted the gang. "Hey Pony, Johnny, Dally you are all in early tonight."

I heard Dally's voice. "Yeah there aint much goin on so we thought we'd head back here for a snack. What are you all up to?"

Two-Bit pointed into the bathroom at me as Steve stepped out of the way so they could see, like I was some sort of animal in the zoo. "Take a look."

Dally was the first to stick his head around the doorway to see me sitting there with the cap pulled down as far as I could. "Scout, what's wrong with your face?"

I heard Steve yell from the dining room. "See Soda I told you the hat wouldn't work."

Hearing Dally's comment Ponyboy pushed past him into the bathroom and Johnny peeked in too. When Pony knelt down in front of me, I took the cap off so he could see. His eyes nearly jumped out of his head at the sight of my face. "Jeepers Scout what happened?"

I slumped my posture a little more. "I was walking home from the bus stop and I got jumped by some socs."

Dally yelled out. "Them damn bastards jumped a girl?" He got hot and started to shift his weight.

"No." I dropped my vision to the floor. "Well I mean….they thought I was a boy."

Two-Bit spoke from the piano bench he was sitting on. "Doesn't matter what they thought. They got no business coming into our territory and jumping anyone."

"Damn straight." Dally added. "Don't you worry Scout we're gonna get the bastards back for ya!"

I waved a hand at Dally and hoped he wouldn't follow through. "Dally that's just gonna cause more trouble. Why don't' we all just let it go."

Dally walked out of the bathroom. "Nah we don't let something like this go …" Dally looked to the front door. "Do we Darry?"

"Do we what?" Darry answered back as he arrived home from work.

Dally continued to rant. "We don't take no crap from no socs coming into our territory and beating up on our women."

I cringed at the comment and pulled the cap back over my eyes. There was nothing I could do, I was trapped in the bathroom with two of my brothers. Sensing conflict Johnny stepped out of the bathroom doorway, his vision on the floor as he sat down in a dining room chair and prepared to listen. I heard Darry's footsteps on the wooden floor and then the creak of the floorboards told me he was right outside the bathroom.

"What in the hell happened?" Darry demanded to know as he saw Soda leaning up against the sink with his arms folded across his chest and blood on his shirt, Ponyboy sitting by my side on the edge of the tub and me with a DX hat pulled down far over my face.

Immediately Pony absolved himself. "I don't know Darry, I just got home."

Darry looked at Sodapop and then at me. I could see his boots come into my view as he took the hat off my head. I looked pretty bad. I probably looked even worse than I really was in the eyes of a father. That's essentially what Darry was to me now.

My eyes met with my guardian's eyes and his face filled with confusion and concern. I looked away from him and mumbled. "I got beat up."

"What?" Darry snapped, grabbed my chin and positioned my face so he could see it better.

"I got jumped." I barely said.

"Where? By who?"

I thought about just not saying anything and wishing Darry would go away, but instead I spoke just above a whisper. "I was walking home from the bus stop and…."

Darry didn't let me finish as he puffed up his muscles and turned to Soda and yelled. "I thought you were going to pick her up at the bus stop!"

"I did!" Soda snapped back and was about to defend himself when I jumped in.

"It's not his fault Darry. Soda did what he was suppose to. I just got on the wrong bus and ended up at the bus stop earlier than I though it was. I waited a long time and thought Soda had blown me off so I decided to walk home." I worried because I knew by Darry's breathing that he was getting angrier. "Near the park I got jumped by some socs."

"What?" Darry yelled not believing socs would jump a girl.

"They jumped me and …" I began to cry and was embarrassed that I hadn't used my head. Darry is always telling Ponyboy to use his head and think more. "Soda and the guys came along and found me… they all got into a fight … and Soda brought me home…. Darry I'm so sorry, please don't be mad at me."

Darry didn't speak but his muscles tensed up and he seemed uncomfortable in his skin. I don't think he knew what to say. Part of him probably wanted to ground me for not following directions but the other part of him probably felt bad for me. Everyone was waiting for Darry's reaction.

"Darry?" I said as I sniffled. "Are you mad?"

Darry looked out into the dining room and slammed the bathroom door shut so just us four were in the conversation. "No Scout I'm not mad. Just …. I…." Darry was growing frustrated with the whole situation. "Just you got to use the brains that God gave you is all. Why in God's almighty earth is Soda the only one of you who can use his head? Darry paced, "and he didn't even finish school!" Darry looked down at me and barked, although I don't think he meant too. "Pull yourself together and get cleaned up!" With a final heavy sigh of disappointment Darry left the room to change his clothes leaving he bathroom door wide open.

I looked up at Soda who was smiling and unfazed by Darry's ranting. He playfully punched me in the arm, "see I told you he wouldn't get mad."

Steve stuck his head into the bathroom, "and I told you the hat thing wouldn't work."

Soda laughed and walked out of the bathroom to wrestle his cocky friend to the ground leaving Ponyboy and I alone. "Sissy you sure you are alright?" Ponyboy asked gently and rubbed the side of my arm.

"Yeah," I sniffled again. "I'll be ok, it's just everything is sore."

Pony whispered so no one in the gang would hear him. "That aint right that Darry yelled at you."

I looked up at Pony. "I don't think he meant to yell."

"Well meaning not to and not doing it are two different things." Pony started to fume. "He aint as perfect as he thinks he is!"

Now it was my turn to sigh. I had a screaming headache and I really wasn't in the mood to get into another discussion with Ponyboy about how cold and thoughtless our oldest brother was. I stood up and felt a strong pain in my side. Gingerly I lifted my shirt and found a huge bruise forming on my stomach.

"Gosh that's gotta hurt." Pony saw it too.

"Believe me Pony, it does."

Pony stood up and grabbed the bottle of aspirin out of the medicine cabinet. Ponyboy thought aspirin could fix anything! My brother handed me four, but I took two. "You ought to take more cause that is going to smart pretty bad in the morning."

"I'll be fine," I swallowed the aspirins and took a big drink of water. "Why don't you get out of here so I can take a shower."

"Alright," Pony agreed. "I'll go get you some clean clothes and drop them in here for you."

I smiled. "Thanks bud." Pony left the room and I started a warm shower. The water felt good as it washed the dirt and blood from my face and body. I stood there in the spray and thought about Darry. It wasn't fair that he had to deal with all of us. Maybe I shouldn't have been so set on staying at my home. I began to feel selfish for insisting I not be put up for adoption. I would have been in a safer neighborhood and Darry wouldn't have had to put one thought into my well being. It just wasn't fair.

Rapidly my thoughts turned to my parents. I missed them more than anything and for some reason I rarely thought about them. I began to wonder what my dad would have done when I came home beaten by the socs. I thought about how he would have held me and cried like Soda did. I missed my dad. I thought about how my mom would have fussed over my face and used a warm rag to clean the wounds and fetch me ice like Two-Bit did. Then she would have made me a little bed on the couch and brought me a bowl of ice cream if we had some. I missed my mom.

At that moment I missed both of my parents so much that I began to cry. I needed my parents so much at that moment that I began to sob. I stood naked in the shower and buried my face into my hands. "Oh God why…. Why couldn't we have just kept one of them? Mom and Dad I need you so much right now…" I assumed my sobbing was muffled by the running water, but somewhere in the middle of my grief I heard the radio turn on and music flooded the living room.

I looked up in a slight panic that the boys had heard me, then I decided I didn't care. It was how I felt and I wasn't going to hide it from myself or anyone else. I wasn't going to be like Darry. I reached down and twisted the shower handles to turn the water off. Quietly I stepped out onto the warn bathroom floor, dried off and slipped on the gym shorts and t-shirt that Pony had left for me.

Opening the door to the bathroom I noticed Darry sitting outside at the dining room table. I glanced over into the living room and noticed Dally and Steve look away, they had heard me sob. I looked back at Darry and noticed his pale blue eyes staring, he had heard me sob for mom and dad. I thought about Pony saying Darry's eyes were like ice, no feeling. Then I wondered if my blue eyes held the same mask of emotion.

"Are you headed to bed?" Darry stood up from the chair and towered over me.

"Yeah," I took a few steps out of the way of the door and called back to my brother. "Darry?" My brother turned back towards me. "I am really sorry about all the trouble I've been causing."

Darry simply said "Ok" and headed into the bathroom to take a shower.

I walked through the kitchen and down the hall to my room. I crawled up into the corner of my bed and slammed my head backwards into the wall out of frustration. Tears welled up again as I thought about how much I had ruined my brother's lives just through existing in this house, why had I been so selfish?

"Scout?" Ponyboy walked into my room and shut the door behind him. He crawled up on the bed with me and frowned. "Awe girl. Don't cry. Everything is going to be alright."

Anytime I was upset and Ponyboy came to my side I usually ended up crying even harder and this time was no exception. "Pony… I screwed up…"

"Scout…" Ponyboy started but I interrupted him.

"Not just tonight, I've screwed up everything. I just should…. I … should have listened to the judge from the beginning and allowed myself to be put up for adoption."

"Come on now Sis don't talk that way." Pony began to cry too. "Don't let Darry make you feel that way. None of this stuff has been your fault."

"But … Pony it aint fair that Darry and Sodapop have to work to take care of us." I wiped my tears on my sleeve, but more took their place. "If I weren't here things would be better, easier."

"Now you know Soda wouldn't have that!" Ponyboy demanded. "He would work three jobs to take care of you if he had too! Besides I couldn't live here without you. You and I are best friends."

I smiled at the comment. I always knew Pony and I were best friends, but it was nice to hear him say it out loud. "Thanks Pon, you're my best friend too."

Ponyboy stood up and tugged at my quilt and sheet. "Why don't you lay down and get some rest." I didn't argue with him. My face was throbbing and I had a headache. Ponyboy threw the covers over my body and sat on the edge of the bed to rub my back. I knew he would stay there until I fell asleep. I thought a little longer about whether Darry really wanted the challenge of having us all to take care of. Maybe Ponyboy was right and Darry didn't truly love us or want us around? I yawned and shook the thought from my head. I hoped Darry kept us around because he cared and not just because he felt we were his responsibility. If that was the only reason we were here I would rather be somewhere else.


	4. Chapter four

Chapter four 

In the morning when I woke up my face felt like I ran into the side of a truck and every muscle in my stomach ached. I laid in bed for a long while before I managed to use my sore muscles to head to the bathroom. I walked slowly down the hall and looked into Ponyboy's room where he was still asleep in bed. I continued into the kitchen and looked into my old bedroom, Johnny was asleep out in the living room and Dally was stretched out on the sofa so I quietly wandered into the bathroom. Looking into the mirror I was shocked to see the purple bruise on my cheek and the black bruising underneath my right eye. I stared at myself and recorded the image in my memory.

"How are you feeling this morning?"

I jumped at the voice and twisted around to see Darry standing in the bathroom doorway in his jeans and white tank top. "Darry! What are you doing home? I thought you had to work today."

Darry walked in and shut the door behind him so our conversation wouldn't wake any of the boys. "I took the morning off. I wanted to be sure you were going to be ok." He put his hand to my head to check for a fever.

I thought about what a missing day of pay would cost the family and answered with guilt. "Yeah, I'm going to be ok?" I thought about how I had felt the night before and how confused my emotions were regarding Darry. "I just won't be eating any steak for awhile." I offered up a painful grin knowing we couldn't afford steak anyway.

"Got any loose teeth?" My brother asked.

I ran my tongue along both rows of teeth. "They all feel fine." I looked at Darry's blue eyes, this morning they seemed sincere. Nothing like the way Pony would describe them in his poems. "Hey you didn't have to stay home to check on me. One of the other guys could have done it."

"No." Darry sat down on the edge of the bathtub. "I needed to. I promised mom I would." I looked back at my brother a little confused as he continued. "I remember the day that day you and Ponyboy came home from the hospital and Mom had you in her arms." Darry smiled, "She was so happy to have a girl in the family. She sat me down on the couch and had me hold my arms out. You were wrapped up tight in a blanket and all I could see was your tiny face and one tiny hand. I remember being amazed at how small you were. Mom knelt down in front of me and handed you over. I held you all by myself and she said, 'you know what you have in your arms Darry? That's an angel. Little sisters are angels from heaven and it's going to be your job to take good care of her. You're the oldest and she's the youngest so you be sure to watch out for her and protect her.'" Tears filled my eyes as I listened to the story. "And I promised her I would, but I didn't do a very good job of it yesterday, so I am going to today."

I wanted to weep, but Darry had told the whole story and never let out one ounce of sorrow or one little tear. I didn't know how he could be so stoic all the time. I didn't want say speak for fear that I might bawl and Darry knew it so he changed the subject. "The boys went out again last night looking for the guys that jumped you. Dally was really stirred up about the whole thing."

"Did they find them?" I asked full knowing the socs had retreated to the safety of their own domain.

"Nah," Darry looked up at me. "When they came back home Soda told Dally it didn't matter much because he, Two-Bit and Steve had already worked them over good." Darry and I both grinned, Soda had that effect on us. "Dally didn't care though, he wanted to bash someone's head in for what they had done."

I looked up at my brother. "Did you go out with them?"

"No, I stayed her. Don't you remember?" Darry asked and stood up. "You got up shortly after you went to bed and walked into the living room saying you didn't feel well." Darry waited but my face stayed blank. I had no recollection. "I walked you back to your room and put you to bed. You had a fever so I stayed up with you for awhile."

I tried to think hard, "No I don't remember."

Beyond the bathroom door we heard a knock at the front door. Darry walked out of the bathroom to answer it and I stood half in the bathroom doorway and half in the dining room. I wanted to know who it was, because most of the people we know don't knock, but I didn't want to be seen with a black and blue face either.

I glanced over at Dally who was still sound asleep on the couch. He never looked tough when he was sleeping. Actually he looked young, he looked his age. I heard the guest greet Darry in and overly jolly voice. "Well hello! My name is Louise Dillard I am a social worker with the State of Oklahoma."

Darry straightened up and introduced himself. "Hi, I'm Darrell Curtis. What can I do for you?"

The lady was an older woman in a floral pants suit and curly brown hair. She was short, chubby and inviting. "Well, I recently received your case when Mrs. Martens resigned. She and her husband are moving to Arizona, you know." The woman commented as if Darry and Mrs. Marten knew each other on a personal level. I read your file and when I saw the names Scout. Ponyboy and Sodapop I just couldn't wait to meet everyone." Darry stood aside and invited the new social worker into the house. I ducked back into the bathroom and quietly shut the door. She stepped in and looked around noticing Dally sleeping on the couch. "Who do we have here?"

Darry looked nervously at the juvenile delinquent. "That's Dallas, he's a friend of ours." My brother looked around the living room for a place to invite the lady to sit down. "Sometimes some of the boys in the neighborhood don't get along well at home and they need somewhere else to sleep."

"That is just fine…" The woman's pleasant voice almost sang, "why don't we meet at the dining room table."

Darry walked the lady to a chair and pulled it out for her. His palms began to sweat as he heard the shower in the bathroom start up. He knew if she insisted on meeting with me there was no way he was going to be able to hide my face from her.

"I see you did very well in school. It is a shame you weren't able to afford college." Mrs. Dillard looked over at Darry. "You know I believe things would have been different for lads like you if President Kennedy hadn't been killed. His untimely death is just a shame."

"Yes Mam'" Darry said, more to let her know he was listening, then in agreement with her.

The lady seemed more interested in getting to know Darry then telling him how to raise his siblings. "Do you remember where you were when President Kennedy was shot?"

Darry thought about how the question had nothing to do with his life now, but he answered anyway. "I was at school."

"Did you cry when you heard the news?"

Darry thought for a moment. "No, I didn't. But a lot of the other kids were crying." Darry grinned a little at the memory in his head that he had forgotten until now.

"What?"

"Well there was this girl next to me who was sobbing at her desk, so I took her in my arms while she cried."

"That is so sweet." Mrs. Dillard smiled at Darry. "Do you remember the girl's name?"

"Yeah," Darry grinned some more. "Kathryn."

"Well I bet she sure appreciated you taking the time to care for her." The social worker sorted her file folders on the table. "Just like I am sure your brother's and sister appreciate you taking care of them now. I tell you it is a real tragedy you all losing your parents like that." Mrs. Dillard looked up from her papers to catch Darry's eye contact. "It is just wonderful that you kept the family together. I have a son a few years older than you and a daughter who is seventeen and there is no way he would give up college and work full time to raise his sister. And that would be just one year, you have four years to go with the two youngest."

Darry sighed heavy realizing he would be twenty four years old when Pony and I turned eighteen years old.

"So tell me about Sodapop. Where is he working? Does he enjoy it?"

Darry sat up because he knew the answer to all of her questions. "Yes mam' he works at the DX gas station over on Milton Ave. and he is really happy there."

The lady wrote down the information. "Well I will stop there after I am done here and have a quick chat with him. How is it raising the children?"

Darry shrugged. The woman was asking personal questions that he hadn't ever considered and he wasn't sure how to answer them. "Well…. I guess it's fine. I aint ever raised anyone before so I don't know if things are going well or not. Um… we do a lot of things together, dinner, chores…." From the spare bed Johnny heard the conversation with the stranger. Quietly he got up from the bed and walked past Darry headed to the front door to leave. "See ya later Johnnycakes." Darry caught Mrs. Dillard making some notes and he cleared his throat. "That's another boy from the neighborhood. He's Ponyboy's best friend."

Mrs. Dillard could tell Darry was nervous and she wanted him to be reassured that she was nothing like the past social worker. "Don't you worry none about me knowing those boys are here. It doesn't bother me in the least." Darry shook his head happy she wasn't going to hold the family's generosity against them. "Are Scout and Ponyboy home?"

"Yeah, Ponyboy is in bed and …" Darry remembered where I was and how I looked. He wasn't sure what to tell the lady. He stumbled a little in his response stalling as he thought. "… Scout is in the shower right now."

"Oh good, I will need to meet briefly with both of them before I go." The kind lady read through her notes and questioned Darry. "Are you having any trouble with any of the children?"

Darry thought about Soda's speeding tickets, Ponyboy's forgetfulness, and my troubles with James. "No, not really."

"It says here that Scout is a little bit of a handful." Mrs. Dillard looked at my brother in a way the tried to convince him to tell the truth.

Darry's face filled with surprise. "Excuse me?"

"These notes say that Scout is an incorrigible child with a bad temper and disrespect for authority."

"Mrs. Dillard I would disagree with that." Darry leaned forward in conversation. "Scout is a sweet girl. She get good grades, has good manners. I don't think I would ever call her incorrigible." Darry heard the shower turn off and new in a few minutes I would be coming out of the bathroom and he still hadn't thought of how he would explain the bruises, especially after I was just labeled as a handful.

Inside the bathroom I could hear Darry talking outside the door and I knew there was no way I could get out of the room unseen and I couldn't stay inside all morning. I grew nervous thinking the social worker would take one look at me and deem Darry an unfit guardian. For one second I thought that if she did feel that way it may all just be for the better. Then reality hit me again that I would be alone without my brothers. I put my clothes on and ran a comb through my wet hair. I looked in the mirror and thought the bruises looked even worse with my combed back.

"It sound's like Scout will be headed out of the bathroom soon." Mrs. Dillard sat back in her chair and folded her hands in her lap to wait.

Darry clasped his hands together in his lap and knew he had no choice but to tell the truth. "Mrs. Dillard…. See…. last night Scout was coming home from the library and … a group of boys, not from this neighborhood, well… she got beat up by them pretty bad."

"Oh my!" Mrs. Dillard looked toward the bathroom door and then back to Darry. "Is she going to be ok?"

Darry shook his head yes. "She's ok, but she does have a black eye and a bruise on her cheek."

Mrs. Dillard was very sympathetic to the incident. "Oh the poor dear. That must have scared her to death. Does that happen a lot in this neighborhood?"

"No, if it did I wouldn't have let her go out alone. In fact I told everyone last night that I don't want them going anywhere alone at night anymore." Darry defended his neighborhood and his ability to be a fit guardian.

With nothing else to do in the bathroom I reluctantly stepped out into the woman's view.

"Oh you poor thing, that is much worse than I had imagined."

The lady stood up and introduced herself to me as Ponyboy strolled into the kitchen not knowing the social worker was waiting to meet him too. "My name is Mrs. Dillard and I will be replacing Mrs. Marten as your social worker."

I smiled so big it made my sore cheek hurt. I introduced myself and right away I could tell this lady wasn't there to judge us. She just wanted to check on us to make sure we were happy and healthy in our home. I looked over at Ponyboy as he flattened his greasy hair down with his hand and walked to the bathroom.

Mrs. Dillard joked to Darry. "Well it looks like you have two kids who aren't looking so good this morning. Darry laughed and told Pony to brush his hair and teeth and come out to join us. The four of us talked about casual stuff like our favorite class at school and who in the house was the best cook. Pony and I both agreed it was Darry. We talked about the other boys in the gang and how they were family to us. She asked if we knew what we wanted to be when we grew up. Ponyboy said he wasn't sure, but I told her I wanted to be a family court judge. She was very impressed with our conversation and just before she left she whispered to me that I don't seem incorrigible at all. I wondered why she would say that but I didn't ask. I liked the new lady from the state. She seemed to care about who we were and she made me feel comfortable with who I was and what I had.


	5. Chapter five

Chapter five 

One weekday morning, after my bruises and cuts were healed, I woke up and Soda and Darry had already left for work. Ponyboy was still sleeping so I was quiet not to wake him. I ate breakfast and unsuccessfully tried to find something to watch on television, but that didn't appease me. I wanted to be doing something so I decided to head out of the house.

I left a note for Ponyboy on the dining room table, put on my shoes and headed to the DX station to visit Sodapop. It was a great day for a walk. The temperature was in the high seventies and the sun shone bright in the late morning sky. I cut through the vacant lot and looked at Johnny's house. It didn't seem like anyone was there so Johnny was probably still in bed too.

When I reached the station both Soda and Steve were in the garage with their heads tucked under an open hood. "What are you two doing?"

Soda looked around the hood. "Hey there Scout! Where's Ponyboy?"

I walked around and leaned on the side of the car. "He is still in bed and I was bored so I thought I would come and see what you two were working on."

"Steve here is just busy replacing a few belts in this ole' rust bucket."

I leaned in to see if I knew what any parts in the engine were. "Care if I watch?"

Steve looked up from the engine with a big line of grease down his cheek. "Nah, it's ok. Just stay out of my way though." Steve looked at the engine and then thought about who he was speaking to. "Oh, and don't ask too many questions."

I agreed and looked into the engine. Watching Steve or Soda work on cars always amazed me. When they looked under the hood of a car they knew what they saw. Just by looking or listening to an engine they knew which piece of the engine needed to be repaired or replaced. To me the a car engine was a puzzle I just couldn't comprehend, that amazed me. I spent an hour watching Steve repair the car and asked very few questions, so I didn't annoy him.

"That oughtta do it." Steve announced and stretched his back. "Scout jump in there and turn the key?"

"Sure!" I grinned. I loved it when Steve trusted me. "You just want me to turn the engine on and leave it on?"

"I'll tell you when to turn it off." Steve said and I climbed into the car and grabbed the key in the ignition. "Crank it!" I turned the key and fired up the engine. A few seconds later Steve told me to kill it and thanked me for helping him out. I climbed out of the car as he let the hood slam shut. "Go tell Soda I am gonna wash up."

I walked outside into the sun where Soda was just beginning to pump gasoline to a customer. I walked over between the pumps as the driver stepped out of the car.

"Well lookie here!" James' mom Delores climbed out of her car. She appeared to be on her way to work because she had her cafeteria uniform on and her hair in her hairnet. "If it isn't the girl who broke my boy's heart and ruined his life."

I wish I knew if she was being serious or sarcastic. "It's nice to see you again Delores."

"Yeah I bet it is." She snorted and looked at Sodapop. "How you doing gorgeous?"

Soda smiled. "I'm doing good." I could tell she stopped here a lot, but I don't think she realized the gas station attendant was my brother.

"Hey prince charming I'm gonna need a few packs of Marlboros."

Soda leaned against the car and looked at me. "Sissy run in there and get those, would ya?"

"Sure." I turned to fetch the cigarettes and heard Delores ask. "Sissy? So you're one of Scout's brothers huh?" I looked back over my shoulder and realized Soda had his tough defenses up. I didn't hear what he said to her because I stepped into the station where Steve was studying Sodapop's look.

"What's up with Soda?"

I turned to look at my brother trying to figure out how Steve knew something was bothering him. "That's James' mom."

"Really?" Steve laughed. "Dingy Delores is James' mom? No wonder that kid is messed up. You know that woman comes in here almost every day Soda is working and she is always wearing that stupid hair net." I grabbed the pack of cigarettes she had requested and Steve continued to laugh. "I think that woman has a huge crush on your brother."

I shook my head in agreement and went back outside. "Here you go Delores."

"You know he aint that bad of a kid." Delores said as I squinted in the sun to see her. "He don't come from a great family and I aint never been a very good mom to him. You could consider giving him a second chance."

I looked over at Sodapop and he put the nozzle back in to it's resting spot in the pump. "She aint interested. Scout has a future in front of her. My brother and I are going to help her go to college and she doesn't need a boyfriend to mess things up for her."

Delores curled her lip at Soda and paid him. "Whatever you say good looking." She turned toward me, "See you around kid." With that the woman climbed back into her car and pulled away.

I looked over at my brother in his DX cap and shirt tails hanging loose. "You really think I am going to be able to get to college Soda?" I wished I could, but always thought if Darry couldn't even do it how would I?

My brother flashed his smile at me. "I know so! Everyone in the gang has talked about helping us put you and Pony through college if we need it."

"Are you serious?"

"Heck yah I'm serious." Soda adjusted the cap on his head and put a toothpick into his mouth. He looked at Steve who was walking out to meet up with us. "Steve and I take money from our paychecks and put it in a jar for you two."

I looked over at Steve to confirm that he would do something like that. "Yeah! But I expect you to pay me back every penny with interest when you get a good job."

"Well how much do you two have saved up?"

Soda laughed because he knew he was better at spending money than saving it. "About twenty dollars."

I had to laugh. "Twenty dollars huh? We got a long way to go!" Soda and Steve laughed because they knew how much money it was going to take to put Ponyboy and I through college, and we weren't even thinking of Darry. I figured if anyone should be able to go to school it should be him. He had given up the most for all of us. "You know what the worst part is? I won't even be sixteen until the start of my senior year so I won't be able to get a job until then."

Soda threw his arm around me and looked up at the warm sun as if he was soaking in the good life. "Don't you worry about it. I'll take care of you now so you can take care of me later, deal?"

I threw my arm up and around his shoulder. "Deal!"

"Come on I'll buy you a bottle of Pepsi." We walked back into the station and Soda bought me a drink. I stayed until lunchtime when Soda drove me home.

I walked into the house and could smell the grilled cheese sandwich Ponyboy was making himself. "Hey Pony! Leave the pan on the stove." I handed Ponyboy the bottle of Pepsi that Soda had bought him and prepared a grilled cheese sandwich for myself. "Have you been awake long?"

"Not too long. I stayed up late drawing and working on some poems." Ponyboy put his sandwich on a plate and stepped out of the way so I could drop mine into the hot pan.

"What was the poem about?"

Ponyboy shrugged a little and sat at the kitchen table. "I really didn't get it done. I tried to write something about dad…but…I don't know."

I looked over at my brother. "Maybe it's just too soon to be able to put it all into words."

"Yeah, maybe."

I finished grilling my sandwich and joined Pony at the table. I told him about running into Delores at the DX, watching Steve work on a car and helping Soda pump gas for the morning. After that we sat in silence and ate. I don't know why, but silence rarely bothered us. Now if Sodapop were at the table he would need to be babbling all through lunch, but not Pony and I. We loved silence and just being together without anything going on. Maybe it's a twin thing? I stared out the window over Pony's shoulder and noticed a bit of commotion across the street near the back yard.

Pony noticed my stare and we watched together. "Looks like someone is moving in."

"Yeah. Wanna go check it out?"

"Why not? We aint got much else to do."

Ponyboy and I finished our sandwiches and headed down the hall and out the back door. We sat on the concrete steps at the back of the house and watched the small moving van unload and a teenage girl carry stuff away from an open car trunk.

"Doesn't look like there are many people moving in." Ponyboy said and lit up a cigarette.

I looked over at him disappointed. "Jeepers Pony! Can't you sit for one minute and not have a cigarette?" Pony's smoking habit annoyed me and it was getting out of hand. Some days he was smoking almost every cigarette in the pack!

I stood up from the step to move away from the smoke as the girl from next door came out to her car again. She glanced over at us and then walked up to our chain link fence.

"Hey there!" She spoke with a very thick southern drawl. "Ya'll live in this here house?"

"Yeah." I looked down at my brother to silently ask him if he wanted to walk over to the fence with me. He shrugged on shoulder, which meant yes and we walked over. I studied the girl as we walked across the yard. I noticed her long black hair in a high ponytail, her short blue jean shorts and her button up shirt tied in a bow just above her waist. She smelled like flowery perfume and wore plenty of makeup. I greeted her at the fence. "Hi, I'm Scout Curtis and this is my brother Ponyboy."

"Ya'll gotta be pullin' my leg!" She drawled again and flashed a pretty smile. "Those are two of the weirdest names I ever heard!" Her comment was a little annoying, but not unexpected. It was common for people to snicker a little when they first heard our names. More so with Pony's name then mine. His was truly an original.

Pony released some smoke from his lips. "You think are names are weird, we got an older brother named is Sodapop"

"Now I know ya'lls just yanking my chain!" The girl squealed in delight. "My name's Casey Dobbins."

"Casey is a pretty original name." I said hoping to start a conversation.

"Yeah I like it. My pa loves trains so he named me after a famous railroad engineer. My mom didn't have a good time of it when I was born and when she woke up days later she was just furious that my pa had named me with out her approval. She wanted to name me Rebecca, but I think I like Casey better." The girl locked her fingers into the netting of the fence and looked over at Pony. "Ya mind if I come in your yard and get a cigarette from ya?"

"Nah come on over, the gate is over…" Ponyboy never got a chance to tell her where the back gate was because she was already scaling the fence like a monkey. In an instant she pushed herself over the top bar and jumped down onto the lawn. Ponyboy handed her the cigarette and she lit its with his lighter.

"So how old are ya'll?" She drawled and took a deep drag on the cigarette.

"Fourteen." Ponyboy answered as he leaned up against the fence next to her.

"Well how old is she?" Casey asked Pony and pointed in my direction.

Pony smiled a little because the girl didn't make the logical connection. "Fourteen! We're twins."

"That is so cool!" Casey smiled and looked at us like we were a phenomenon. "I have never met twins before." Without missing a beat she continued the conversation. "I'm almost sixteen. So ya'll mind if we hang out together? I aint got any brothers or sisters and being new in town I don't know one darn person… well until now. I guess now I know two!"

My quiet brother and I had to laugh at our over zealous neighbor. There was something about her that was very inviting and I could see her getting along well with the gang. I looked back at her. "Sure you can come over whenever you want to."

"Cool!" Casey finished the weed and dropped the butt into the grass. "Listen, it's just me and my mom next door so I better go help her with moving the stuff in. So I'll stop by later, what do ya say?"

I looked over and smiled at her. "Sure… well … do you want some help? Ponyboy and I don't have much else to do."

"That would be cool!" Casey drawled again and I quickly realized that "cool" was a word she preferred to use a lot!

The three of us climbed the fence and walked across the street to the tiny house. Most of the houses in our block we small, ours was an exception.

"So where are you moving from?" I asked.

Casey rolled her eyes. "I aint suppose to say. See we are kind of on the run from my pa. He's got himself a mighty bad temper and my mama just couldn't stay with him no more. Catch my drift?"

"Yeah I get it." I said and thought about my own parents. In almost fourteen years I don't ever remember them fighting any worse then maybe an argument.

"So we moved from our home to my grandma's home. My mom got a real nice job back there, but one night my pa showed up screaming and yelling, well we had to call the cops and skin outta there before he hurt someone. We hid out at hotel for a little while and then ma decided we were movin even further away, so she picked Tulsa. Ma aint got a job here yet so we aint got much stuff!"

I looked at Casey and wondered how she was ever able to talk that fast and that much. I though about what a good pair we could make, with her doing all the talking and me doing all the listening. It sounded like a perfect match.


	6. Chapter six

**Chapter Six**

Ponyboy and I each grabbed a box and went inside with Casey who introduced us to her mom, Mary Lynn, and told us all about her mother's obsession with Elvis Presley. She said we should plan on hearing Elvis records blaring from her mama's hi-fi every night. Casey wasn't kidding either. Her mom had no less than five framed pictured of Elvis and every record he ever made, both albums and forty-fives. Mary Lynn was a pretty woman and looked more like Casey's sister then her mother. I made mention of it and quickly learned that Mary Lynn was only fifteen years old when Casey was born.

Casey also introduced us to her Uncle Al. He was the one who had helped them move and drove the truck. He was really appreciative of Ponyboy showing up to help and paid him five dollars for helping to lift all the heavy furniture. Ponyboy and I stayed until every last box was in the house then we said our goodbyes. Before we walked out the door Mary Lynn told Casey that she didn't have to stay home and unpack, so Casey followed us out.

It was late in the afternoon so we headed up the street to check if Johnny or any of the gang were in the lot. As we walked Casey asked. "So what does your pa and mama do?"

I stared at the ground, but I knew I would have to answer this question a lot. "Our parents died earlier this year."

Before I could elaborate Casey had let out an inhaled screech and placed her hands over her mouth in surprise. "Scout. I am so sorry for bringing that up."

I looked up at her, she was a good four inches taller than me. "It's ok. You had no way of knowing."

Casey dropped her hands from her mouth. "What happened? If ya don't mind me asking"

I looked forward at Ponyboy. I could tell he was listening, but not looking to be a part of the conversation. "They were killed together in a car accident about four months ago."

"So do you live over there with your grandparents or something?"

"Nah, we don't have any extended family." I stuffed my hands into the back pockets of my jeans. "I live there with my brothers. Darry, my oldest brother, is our guardian."

We walked across our street and into the lot where Johnny was sitting on the old car seat chatting with Two-Bit. "Wow that's gotta be weird having your brother as a guardian. So how many brothers you got?"

"Three." I looked ahead at Ponyboy as we met up with Johnny and Two-Bit who had stood up to meet Casey. "Darry, Soda and Pony, I'm the youngest, but only by seven minutes." Pony laughed because I always let people know I was just barely the youngest. Sometimes I would say if Pony had any manners he would have let me go first and then he would be the youngest.

Casey looked at me out of the corner of her eye. "Ya'll was serious about your brother's name being Sodapop?"

Pony and I both laughed and I answered. "Serious as a heart attack!"

Casey smiled wide at Two-Bit and Johnny as we introduced them. "Hey ya'll it's mighty nice to meet ya."

Upon hearing Casey's dialect and drawl Two-Bit couldn't restrain from copying her. "Well it's mighty fine to meet up with ya too!" Everyone laughed. Even Casey, who was flattered by the attention he was giving her. Casey fit into the gang perfectly. She had a quick sense of humor and even made Johnny smile a few times.

Together the five of us wandered back to our house. Casey and I led the group up the front steps and into the house. Sodapop came walking out of the kitchen with a handful of mail and Casey stopped dead in her tracks with out warning causing a pileup in the doorway. "Oh my my! Scout who is that!" She spoke to me quietly.

The gang laughed and Soda smiled wide as I introduced her. "Casey this is my brother Sodapop, Soda this is Casey, she just moved into the neighborhood."

Soda walked over and held his hand out to greet her. Casey stepped out of the way as the gang pushed past her and grabbed at Soda's hand. "It is a real pleasure to meet ya!" Soda had to pull his hand back from her. "Are you single?" Casey flirted with him and asked, "Cause if your not now, you won't be in a minute after I ask you to marry me."

"No I'm spoken for right now." Soda laughed and looked over at me. "Scout where did you meet her?"

"In the backyard."

Soda was still laughing as he handed me and Ponyboy the pieces of mail he was carrying. "Here are your report cards. I got mine too, but we all know what mine says."

I looked over at Pony. In a way the two of us were competitive with our grades. We opened our envelopes and pulled out the report. Casey looked over my shoulder and yelled out. "Holy crap! Are those your grades or a someone stuttering the alphabet?" I looked at her funny wondering if she had thought I had the wrong report card. Before I had a chance to read each class to myself the girl grabbed the card from my hand and announced the grades out loud. "A, A, A, A, A, A, A-, whadya get an A- in … gym class!" I pulled the card back from her and she laughed. "Come on even I get an A in gym. How'd ya get grades like that?"

Two-Bit wandered over and peeked at the card for himself. "Casey… ole Scout and Ponyboy are what ya might call geniuses. In the book sense at least."

Soda tried to look over Ponyboy's shoulder. "What did you bring home Pon?"

"Who cares?" Ponyboy said with annoyance and the gang knew I had better grades than him. Ponyboy wouldn't openly share his grades so Soda and Two-Bit took it upon themselves to wrestle him to the ground and steal the report card from his pocket. Ponyboy yelled out for them to leave him alone, but they wouldn't. Soda managed to pull the card from his pocket as Two-Bit held him to the ground.

I snatched the card and ran to the fireplace where I couldn't be reached quickly if Pony escaped. Johnny moved like he was going to snatch the card away but Two-Bit called him off and Johnny listened. I yelled the grades out loud as Pony grew silent. A, A-, A, B," I paused and knew that grade was the reason Ponyboy was tight lipped. I read the last three grades without the lack of enthusiasm I had before. "B, A-,A." I looked down at my brother who was released from his hold, probably out of pity. Pony stood up angry at himself. I tried to make it all better. "Awe Pony, these grades aren't that bad."

Pony and I knew better than that. Darry had been on our case from the day mom and dad died to be sure we brought home A's. Ponyboy took the card from me. "Easy for you to say, Darry aint gonna chew your head off at dinner tonight."

Soda and I looked at our brother and spoke the same words. "Darry ain't gonna be mad."

Pony's anger grew. "The hell he isn't! He aint gonna accept any excuses I have and he ain't gonna like the two B's I got. Especially when Sissy didn't bring any home."

Two-Bit and Johnny knew Pony was right and that Darry would be anything but pleased. "Hey ah… Johnny why don't you and I walk Casey here back to her house…"

Johnny quickly took the hint. "Yeah sure. See ya'll later." Johnny lead the way out the front door as Darry was coming home. Two-Bit grabbed Casey's arm and led her out. On the front porch Two-Bit introduced the two. Through the open window I could hear Casey speak as the three headed down the street. "Dang! He is good looking too! I oughta ask my mom if I can stay overnight there a few times a week. I am sure…." She rambled on until she was out of earshot and we couldn't hear her.

Darry walked in laughing at the girl. "That your new friend Scout?"

"Yeah, she moved in down the street today."

"That's great!" Darry said and he meant it. I knew he was really happy that I would have a girl to hang out with. My oldest brother strung his tool belt over the back of a dining room chair and noticed the two empty envelopes from the school on the table. He picked them up and studied the names. "How do the report cards look?"

Soda spoke up first. "Not good Darry!" Soda tried to add some humor by shaking his head in dismay. "I didn't even get F's this time. I got all incompletes."

Darry smiled and slapped Soda on the shoulder. "Don't worry about it little buddy, you're doing just fine in my book."

I winced at the comment because I knew Ponyboy wouldn't be getting off that easy. I tried to figure out if it would work best that Pony go next or me, but before either of us could speak up Darry called my name. "Scout? How'd you do?" I handed the report over to him and he smiled. "Looks good, only two A's and an A-. Maybe next year you could get those A's up a little higher… but an A- in gym? What's up with that?"

I smiled. "I don't know? I guess I just don't try really hard at sports."

Darry didn't argue, "Ok baby girl, try harder next year alright?" I agreed and looked over at Ponyboy who had his card rolled up in his hand. Darry looked over his shoulder at Pony and stretched out his hand. "Last but not least?"

Pony begrudgingly handed the card to Darry and mumbled. "Last and least."

Darry took the card and stared at it in silence for well over a minute. Before our oldest brother could speak Sodapop tried to run interference for Pony.

"It's not that bad Darry. Ya know with mom and dad dying Pony just had a hard time getting his head together at school and all."

Darry did that shifty little laugh where you know he is thinking something but planning on saying something different. "Your probably right little buddy, but Scout didn't have a hard time keeping her grades up and her classes are harder than Pony's."

"Not really Darry I…" Darry stuck his hand up to cease my speech and he turned toward my twin. He ranted on and on about Pony needing to pull his head together and think more. He pounded the issue of college and that he and Soda weren't going to be able to help us much and we needed to get into college with a scholarship. Darry was even quick to use himself as an example. Darry worked hard in school both physically and mentally and he still couldn't find a way to make his college dreams a reality.

Sodapop and I stood by ready to stick up for our brother if we had to, but Darry had all relevant points and he really wasn't yelling as much as he was pleading his case. A few minutes later Darry stopped his preaching and went to his room. Soda and I walked over to Ponyboy and Soda told him that Darry's yelling wasn't that bad then Soda went to the kitchen to get dinner started.

Ponyboy looked down at me and mumbled. "Yeah right it wasn't that bad. I only got two B's and Darry never even bothered to say good job for the five A's."

I looked up at Ponyboy and smiled hoping to cheer him up. "Hey Pony. Good job bringing home five A's"

My brother looked back at me with a frown. "Yeah right."


	7. Chapter seven

Chapter Seven 

Over the next few weeks Casey and I became inseparable, you couldn't see one of us without the other. Darry commented that she and I were so much like Johnny and Ponyboy that he started calling my new friend Caseycakes. Casey was funny like Two-Bit, carefree like Sodapop and thoughtful like Ponyboy, a perfect combination.

She would show up at my house in the morning after breakfast and stay until curfew each night. We spent countless hours talking about useless things like who the prettiest actress was, or would we rather date Batman or Robin. We also shared discussions about sensitive subjects like how much I missed my parents and how her dad used to beat on her mom and sometimes on Casey. I informed her about the difference between the socials and the greasers, even though I didn't understand the feud very well. I told her how I was jumped one night on the way home from the library. Casey was from the country so she had as hard a time understanding the social levels of Tulsa.

One late summer afternoon we were laying around in the living room reading the women's magazines that her mom bought. Ponyboy was not interested in our beauty tips so he headed out to the DX to see Sodapop. Casey wanted to go to, due to her huge crush on Sodapop, but I convinced her to stay at my house and just relax. Besides I didn't have a crush on my brother and watching her drool in his presence was getting old.

When Darry came home from work we went outside to meet him on the porch. "Hey Scout!" Darry climbed out of his truck and up the porch steps. "What are you up to?"

"Nothing. Just girl stuff." I flopped down on the metal bench under the front window and Casey sat on the bench on the side of the porch.

Darry smiled at me, "That's good. You've been behaving right Caseycakes?" He looked in her direction and she began to answer him but the smile drifted from his face.

"What's up Darry?" I asked and looked in the same direction. Darry didn't answer me and he took off running. I jumped up from the bench and watched him disappear into the vacant lot. I turned to Casey, "what's up?"

"I don't know?" Casey said looking in the same direction as Darry had ran. "Let's go find out."

The two of us ran down the street and quickly noticed the gang gathered together along the tree line. I wondered what they were all doing there together and where they had come from. We reached the edge of the crowd and I looked down at Sodapop who was holding Johnny in his arms. I wondered what had happened. Then I remembered when I was jumped and Soda held me. My stomach turned as I looked at Johnny's almost unrecognizable face. I stood there shaking and crying silently as Johnny wept and told the gang what had happened to him. I looked over at Casey, who was doubled over by the tree line vomiting. She had never seen something so horrible, and everyone in the gang agreed with her.

Darry looked over at Dallas. "Dally go get my truck and bring it over here." I watched as Dally took off in a sprint to our house. In less than a minute I heard the truck start up and Dally drove it in reverse to the lot. Darry looked down at Sodapop who still held Johnny tightly in his grasp. "Little buddy, hand him over to me, we ought to get him home and cleaned up." Soda looked up at Darry and shook his head in agreement. Darry hoisted up the beaten boy. "Scout, you and Ponyboy get on home and get the spare bed ready for Johnny. Without question Ponyboy and I ran home before anyone else.

Together we bolted through the door. Ponyboy pulled the sheets back on the bed and then joined me in the bathroom collecting bandages, towels and hydrogen peroxide. We heard the truck pull to a stop and Ponyboy went to hold the front screen door open. Darry carried Johnnycakes into the house as Casey and the gang jumped out of the back of the pickup and ran through the front gate.

I waited in the bedroom as Darry carried Johnny in and laid him in bed. I heard Johnny continually apologizing to Darry for all the trouble he had caused. Darry simply smiled down at Johnny and told him not to worry about it. We were his family and we would take care of him. Darry turned to me. "Scout we are going to need to get him cleaned up."

I stood by Darry's side waiting for direction as Ponyboy tearfully kept watch over his friend. Because I was the girl the boys expected me to be like mom. I tried to remember how she had cared for Johnny some of the times he had been beaten by his father. My hands continued to tremble as I layered towels underneath Johnny's head. Slowly I helped Darry pour the hydrogen peroxide into the large wound on his face. I watched the solution cause the wound to bubble and fizz forcing the dirt out of the wound as Darry dabbed it clean with a towel and Johnny winced a little in pain.

In twenty minutes we had Johnny washed up and bandaged. He swallowed three aspirins and I encouraged him to try to get some sleep. I knew first hand that if he slept he wouldn't feel any pain.

Darry shut the doors to the room and forced everyone out of the house and onto the porch. Dally and Steve paced and fumed. Dally lit up a cigarette by striking his match on the flint around his neck. "Those damn socs are going to wish they never came into this neighborhood…"

Steve punched his fist into his hand. "I'm going to rearrange the face of the next rich bastard I run into."

"Screw that!" Dally shot back. "I'm not waiting for them to show up. I'm going into their neighborhood! I'm gonna find someone's sister and work her over the way those bastards worked over Scout! I'm gonna find someone's little brother who is just minding his own business in his own yard and beat thatr kid the way they beat Johnnycakes."

Steve curled his lip up in anger and drawled heavily. "What are we waitin' for Dally, Let's go! Come on Soda!"

I looked over at Soda who had a defeated look on his face. It reminded me of how he looked the day after mom and dad died. He wasn't fired up like his friends. "No…I 'm gonna stay here and look after Johnny. He needs us."

The comment stalled Dally and Steve's fury just long enough for Darry to start to fume. "You all just hold it and listen!" When Darry yelled he commanded attention and got it, even from Dally. "No one is going to the other side of town to beat on anyone! We aren't that type and we aren't going to start being that type. You all should just plan to stay here." Even though Darry's voice was stern and angered he had a good point and helped the boys to keep a level head. "I want everyone to hear me now! Especially you Ponyboy cause if you aint listening I am gonna skin you good!"

Even though Ponyboy was the one who listened the least he was pissed that Darry would single him out. "Whatcha yelling special at me for?"

"Cause if anyone out here won't be listening it'll be you!" Darry snapped back. "No one who lives in this house goes walking anywhere alone anytime, day or night! I suggest the rest of you follow that rule too. Things aint the same around here as they used to be." No one argued with Darry. We all knew he was right. Being jumped in broad daylight for no apparent reason had never happened in our neighborhood. Darry crossed his arms across his chest demanding attention. "We are going to need to look after Johnnycakes through the night so some of us are going to have to stay up with him for a few days."

Two-Bit spoke up quietly. "Dar I'll watch him tonight."

Dally stepped into the conversation. "I'll watch him half the night too so Two-Bit can get some sleep."

Casey surprised everyone by speaking up. "I'll watch after him tomorrow during the day."

I joined in. "I can watch after him tomorrow night."

Darry was pleased with how well everyone was speaking up. "Good. I'll split tomorrow night with you Sissy."

Two-Bit dared to disagree with Darry. "No Darry, you got a job to go to. You sleep and I'll watch after Johnny the second half of the night."

Darry didn't argue, he understood that half the gang didn't have to work so it made the most sense for Darry, Soda and Steve to help out in the evenings after work.

Ponyboy took the first shift, got a notebook full of paper and climbed onto the foot of the bed and watched after Johnny until he couldn't keep his eyes open anymore. Just like a team Two-Bit was there to send Pony off to bed and take over. Then Dally and Casey and I took the next shifts the following day.

Johnnycakes stayed in bed for three or four days and Ponyboy and I never left the house the whole time. Casey was over just as much too. She seemed to feel really sorry for Johnny and she couldn't stop finding nice things to do for him. As the days passed Casey began to get angrier and angrier as she noticed his parents never asked about him or worried about where he was. Amidst Johnny's vomiting, fevers and yelling out at night he never had his mother to take care of him. I thought if we had taken him home he would have never recovered.


	8. Chaper eight

Chapter eight 

The evening was hot as Casey and I hung out in my bedroom. She laid on the extra bed while I sat in front of the window that hung over my bed, waiting for any tiny breeze. I relaxed in my gym shorts and a white cotton t-shirt and Casey had her jean shorts undone and had stripped down to her bra to keep cool. Well she said it was to keep cool, I think she was hoping one of the gang would come in and see her.

"Scout?" Casey called to me. "Which one of the guys in the gang do you think is the cutest?"

I laughed and rolled my eyes. "Uh, none of them!"

"Get out!" Casey sat up and looked at me. "You know that isn't true." Her eyes sparkled. "Haven't you ever dated one of them?"

"No way! Come on Casey that would be like dating a cousin or something."

"I can dig that, but they're not your cousins, their just cute guys." Casey grabbed a book and fanned herself with it. "How about Dally, he's pretty fine."

"Dally's a criminal, and I don't find that the least bit attractive." I said with a snobby tone. "I could see you liking Dally though, cause he's reckless and all."

Casey thought awhile. "Yeah, he does give a girl the feeling that she is well protected in his presence. That's always a cool thing."

"Yes he will do that!" I agreed with her and thought about the night at the picture show when James was bothering me. Dally would have killed James for me if he thought that needed to be done.

"So what about Steve? He's kind of manly and all, what do you think of him?"

"I don't know. He kind of annoys me and he just isn't my type." I pulled my shirt away from my body to try to let the air pass under it.

"Well of everyone in the gang which one looks most like your type?" Casey read the disinterest in my face regarding the conversation. "Just who looks the most like what your type might be, count your brothers in there too. Just for looks is all."

"Well …. For example only!" I clarified. "I think Soda is really good looking, but I think I would like a guy more like Darry. You know, clean cut, full of muscles. Someone who has charm, class and good looks too!"

Casey shook her head in agreement, I think she may have been salivating. "Yeah I'd have to agree with you about Soda. Man that Sandy is one lucky girl! I don't know about Darry though, he seems kind of cold and disinterested most of the time."

I thought about how she had just described my brother the way Pony always did. I wondered to myself if I was seeing Darry wrong because I missed my dad and wanted my brother to be more like my father. Maybe Darry was cold and heartless. I lost myself in my thoughts for a moment before Casey broke my trance.

"Well? What about Johnny?" Casey was smiling wide. "I think he's real cool. He has a kind of exotic look to him, you know like someone you don't see all the time."

I laughed. "Dirty ol'Johnnycakes? Casey, that's just gross!"

"Awe come on! He's sexy!" Casey crossed her legs as she sat on the bed. "He's got dark hair and those dark brown eyes that match his tan skin."

"Tan skin! Casey that's just dirt because the boy doesn't bath enough!" I was really laughing now. I don't think in the next fifty years I would ever find Johnny to be sexy, but maybe that was because we were such close friends. "I'm just kidding, he is cute, but I could never fall for him."

Casey started to laugh with me about Johnny needing more showers. "Yeah you could be right… but he sure would clean up well."

"Ya got that right!"

"You know who I would like to date the most?"

I raised my eyebrows. "Yah! Of course I do, Sodapop."

"No, I mean of the single guys."

I thought about Dally, Two-Bit, Johnny and Ponyboy. "Oh no! Not Ponyboy?"

"No!" Casey's eyes got all dreamy. "Two-Bit!"

The name struck a chord in me that set me on the defense. I didn't know why but for some reason every nerve in my body hoped she never actually dated Two-Bit. "You can't date him!"

"Why not?"

I thought about why not, I didn't have a good answer other than he was my favorite guy in the gang. I loved the way he goofed around and made me laugh. Plus he understood me and that was important to me. I guess I was jealous that his little bit of attention toward me would fade away if he dated my friend. "Cause…he's….. I….. He and I are good friends and if you dated him that might make me have to choose between you two, and I don't wanna do that."

Casey slouched and thought about my reasoning. Then she stood up and paced the floor. "That's a pretty good point Scout. I could see where me dating anyone in the gang could be a problem."

I stood up with her. "Well I'm not saying you can't date any of them. I am just saying maybe it would be weird or something."

Casey reached down and opened the lid on my mother's jewelry box that was sitting on my dresser. "No that's cool. I dig what you're saying." I watched her run her fingers through the jewelry and I worried she may have been angry with my selfishness. A moment later I realized she wasn't a deep thinker and she yelled out. "Whose earrings are these?" She looked at me. "I aint ever seen ya wearing earrings."

I looked at her a little confused that she had so quickly shifted the conversation. "I don't have my ears pierced, they were my moms."

A sly grin spread across my friend's face. "Oh … I didn't realize you didn't have your ears pierced!" Casey buttoned up her shorts and threw her shirt back on. "You should let me pierce your ears for ya so you can wear these. They would be real pretty on ya."

I stared back at my anxious friend. I was really apprehensive about the thought of poking a hole through my ear lobe. "I don't know…"

"Oh shut up!" Casey demanded. "Were gonna do it! Come on it'll be fun!" With her decision made she pulled me out of the room and down the hall. "Where does your mom keep the needles?"

"In the drawer in the kitchen."

Casey kept a hold of my hand so I wouldn't run away, she knew me pretty well. I fumbled through junk to find mom's old sewing box. I pulled out the small kit and handed it to her as she pulled us to the bathroom.

I watched her digging through the bathroom cabinet. "What are you looking for?"

"Rubbing alcohol?" Casey asked and I pointed to the wall cabinet behind the door.

"Why do ya'll need rubbing alcohol?" Two-Bit's voice startled us both as he eaves dropped.

Casey looked over at him like he was dumb. "We gotta sterilize the needle before we use it to pierce Scout's ears."

"Pierce her ears?" He almost shouted as I grabbed my ear lobes and thought about how much it was going to hurt.

"Scout this is going to be so much fun!" Casey bubbled and skipped out of the bathroom passed Two-Bit with the rubbing alcohol and sewing kit in her hand.

I smiled nervously, "Well wait… will it hurt?"

"No, well yeah it will, but it's just for a minute." Casey tried to avoid the truth as she set up her little piercing station at the dining room table.

I grimaced at the thought of having a needle shoved through my ear lobe. "On second thought, maybe Darry will get mad." I tried to use my brother as a scapegoat.

"Come on Sissy!" Two-Bit drawled as Ponyboy, Johnny and Dallas strolled over to see what all the commotion was. "Darry aint gonna care, you're just chicken is all." Then he and Dally laughed at me. I'm not sure why, but I hate it when those two laugh at me.

"I never said I wasn't gonna do it!" I defended my fear, sat down in the chair and pushed my hair behind my ears. "I just don't want to get in trouble for it is all."

"Johnny!" Casey called to our friend. "Sweetie we're gonna need some ice too. Oh, and a wet washcloth. Could you go get that for me?" Johnny obediently went to fetch the items as the gang sort of crowded around to watch.

I looked around and noticed Ponyboy and Two-Bit watching with big grins on their faces.

"What are you all grinning about?" I asked them as my nervousness rose. I tried to hide it, to look tuff, but I was starting to rub my hands together which was a tell tale sign that I was scared.

Two-Bit's smiled stretched from ear to ear. "We just aint seen anyone have a needle stuck through their ear and we wanted a front row seat to see it!"

"Yeah, and I want to be able to see if you pass out or something." Pony added obnoxiously as he puffed on his cancer stick.

I drawled back my response. I tended to do that too when I'm nervous and trying to look tuff. "Well ya'll better go find somethin' else to do because it aint gonna hurt and I'm not passin' out."

"Ok are ya ready?" Casey asked. "I'm gonna put some ice on the ear and then I gotta push the needle through so don't squirm."

I sat up straight and took a deep breath. I made sure to look straight ahead and concentrate on something. I felt the freezing cold ice cube on my ear and then Casey pulled it off and dried the earlobe. I heard her count, one, two, three. I rush of pain made me jump out of the chair a little and I stamped my feet on the floor to try and distract my brain from the pain.

In my ear I heard Two-Bit yelp, "whoa look at that bleed!"

Then Dally scolded Casey, "You were suppose to push the needle all the way through stupid."

"I tried but I just wasn't holding the needle tight enough!" Casey defended herself. "Johnny give me that rag so it doesn't drip blood on her shirt."

I looked over at Ponyboy who had a surprised yet concerned look on his face. Two-Bit was near by trying so hard not to bust out laughing that his eyes were tearing up.

"What happened?" I asked as I took the ice and put it to my ear to try and cease the throbbing pain.

Casey looked over at me with a frown. "Well I aint never done this before and I screwed up and didn't push the needle all the way through."

"You haven't done this before?" I asked in disbelief but I could tell from the look on her face that she was sincere in her apology and I made an effort not to get mad. I picked up the hand mirror and pulled the bloody ice cube off my ear. I looked at the lobe dripping with blood and heard Pony tease. "Oh this is the part where she's gonna pass out."

I looked over at him. "I told you I'm not gonna to pass out!" I meant it. It was time for me to step up and finish the job. I Casey hold the mirror for me. I took the wet washcloth from my shoulder and cleaned the blood from my ear. "Johnny would you please clean the needle off and give it to me."

Dally leaned over from the part of the table he was sitting on. "What are you going to do, pierce it yourself?"

I looked up at him assuredly. "Yeah, if I am going to have a hole in my ear it better be able to hold an earring." I took the clean needle and wiped my ear lobe one more time so I could see what I was doing. Then I lined the needle up and pushed it all the way through. It hurt, but it was one of those pains that doesn't hurt as much because you do it to yourself.

"Oh that was gross!" Johnny said.

"Just one of the things broads do to look good for us." Two-Bit patted Johnnycakes on the shoulder.

"That was pretty tough Scout. I aint never seen a girl shove a needle though her own ear before." Dallas took a drag on his cigarette.

I smiled because being called tough by Dally was a nice compliment. I wiped the ear a second time and Casey cleaned it with rubbing alcohol again. Then we slipped in one of the simple gold earrings from my mom's jewelry box. I tried to see in the mirror how it looked but the blood was still bubbling out from the hole. I pinched my sore ear lobe with the washcloth and waited for the bleeding to stop. "Casey why don't you do the next, but don't screw it up!"

"I don't know." Casey looked at me apprehensively.

"Give me the needle, I'll do it." Dally said as he gently pushed Casey aside and clenched his cigarette with his teeth. I looked at him in his blue jeans and white t-shirt. I pondered whether I trusted Dallas Winston to push a piece of steel through my flesh. Then a thought crossed my mind, with a rep like his he has probably stabbed at least one person before so he had more experience then Casey! Dallas sat down on the chair directly in front of me. "Just push it through right?"

Casey took his cigarette and handed the needle to him. "No not just through, the hole needs to be even with the other one so her ears don't look crooked."

I looked at Ponyboy's eyes to ask him if he thought I was crazy to let anyone in this gang try to pierce my other ear. Pony kind of read my mind and shrugged his shoulders up to let me know that he wasn't sure if it was a good idea or not. I looked back at Dallas who had the needle in his hand and was waiting for Casey to use the ballpoint pen to mark the spot on my ear where the hole should go.

I pulled the washcloth away from my ear. "Has it stopped bleeding?"

Two-Bit leaned forward from where he was standing. "Yeah, I think it has."

I held the washcloth in my fingers as Casey put the ice cube on my second earlobe to numb it. When she pulled the ice away I looked at Dallas who struck my earlobe with the needle like a strinking snake. In an instant he pushed the needle halfway through and then pulled it out the back of my ear. I cringed at the initial pain. Casey pushed the earring through the hole and without a drop of blood the ordeal was over and my ears were pierced.

"Well looky there Dally!" Two-Bit teased. "Casey'll have you doing bouffants and fingernail painting by the end of the summer. Next time you gotta go before the judge you oughta tell him your ready for beauty school!"

Dally just smiled. "Hey! Let it be known that I aint ever afraid to use a piece of steel on anyone, at anytime for any reason." Then Dally let out one his signature laughs where you can actually hear him saying ha ha ha!


	9. Chapter nine

**Chapter nine**

Darry worked on tying his tie in the bathroom mirror. "Is he home yet?"

I looked over at Sodapop who was sitting on the couch next to me. He was looking uncomfortable in his dress clothes and had loosened the knot in his tie. Soda didn't want to directly answer Darry for fear that he would explode, so he wandered outside to the porch and yelled. "Ponyboy! Ponyboy!"

Darry stepped out of the bathroom agitated to hear Soda was still looking for his youngest brother. "Scout where in tarnation is he?"

"I don't know." I stood up and brushed the wrinkles out of my skirt as Sodapop walked back in and came eye to eye with Darry.

"Well?" Darry was annoyed that Ponyboy had forgotten about our family joining Kathryn Ottavi's family for dinner.

Sodapop shrugged. "I didn't see him."

Our oldest brother fumed. "We are leaving in five minutes with or without him!"

Soda and I stood in the living room knowing we were going to have to bare the brunt of Darry's anger due to Ponyboy not showing up as he was instructed to do. Slowly the seconds ticked into minutes and finally Darry couldn't stand the wait any longer. He grabbed his suit jacket and yelled. "Let's go!"

Soda and I let Darry storm passed us before following him out the door. Anytime Darry was this angry you wanted to make sure you were behind him so you didn't do anything to infuriate him more. I watched Darry walk around to the driver side of the truck and pull the heavy metal door open as something in the distance caught his eye. Soda and I saw it too. Ponyboy came walking down the street with Johnny and Dallas, smoking a cigarette and enjoying his conversation.

Sodapop saw Darry's eyes blaze with furry. Worried, Soda jogged toward our brother hoping to help him avoid conflict, "Hey Pony!" Darry was close on his heels with his muscles tense and his voice demanding. "Where in the hell were you? I told you to be home and dressed for dinner at Kathryn's house by six o'clock!" Ponyboy's face dropped as he remembered Darry telling him to be sure to be home. "Your clothes are on the chair in the dining room and I am giving you one minute to get your butt into that house, dress and be out to the truck ready to go."

To help speed Ponyboy along Soda grabbed him by the arm and pulled him into the house. Darry turned to stomp back toward me. "Scout! Get the hell in the truck!" Obediently I climbed in and sat in the middle on the hot vinyl seat.

Dally swaggered near, curled his lip and got mouthy with his friend. "Geez Darry, what are you all pissed about? Cut the kid some slack, it's just a stupid dinner."

Darry shared two words with Dally to end the conversation. "Shut up!" The man walked back to the truck and climbed in, being sure to slam the door shut tight. I watched out the front window as Dally and Johnny did an about face and headed around the corner to the vacant lot.

The air in the truck was tense as Darry reached down and turned the key in the ignition. Slowly the engine turned over and the truck began to rumble. I looked out the passenger side window staring at the door hoping my brother's would appear at any second. Darry put the truck into gear just as the two of them darted out of the house and scrambled into the cab of the truck. Darry spent the twenty minute trip across town hounding Ponyboy about being smarter and more responsible with his life.

From time to time I looked at Ponyboy who had his head hanging out the window. I don't think he cared to listen to Darry scold him. I didn't feel sorry though, Ponyboy was told numerous times about the dinner. This was important to Darry and Mr. Ottavi had bothered to stick his reputation on the line to help us stay together as a family. The way I saw it we owed him and we weren't setting a very good example as a responsible family by running late.

As my family's small rusty truck neared Kathryn's neighborhood I began to take in why so many kids from this side of the tracks didn't understand us. I doubted they had ever had to need for anything in their lives. Well kept lawns laid pressed up against the sidewalks and rows of flowers often lined the driveways that linked the large private homes with the common street. Seeing so much wealth made me a little uncomfortable in the clothes I was wearing and in the company of my brothers. I realized that none of the Ottavi family would be greasing their long hair back for dinner tonight.

I gulped hard and became nervous as Darry pulled our truck up outside the large two-story home covered in red brick with black shutters and towering white columns. Darry turned the key and shut the truck engine off then warned us all to be on our best behavior and use our manners. He told the boys not to eat like pigs because we could eat again when we got home.

I climbed out the passenger side door with Soda and Pony. Then the three of us trailed behind Darry, along the sidewalk that winded through the lush green lawn to the front of the house. Darry climbed the red brick steps and rang the doorbell while Soda and Ponyboy stood behind him and I stood behind the two of them. Within seconds the large ornate solid wood door opened up and we were greeted by the same man we had met just months before in the courtroom.

"Darry!" Mr. Ottavi clenched his pipe in his teeth, stepped out on to the porch and playfully slapped my brother on the back. Darry had been to dinner with the Ottavi family many times before. They had even invited him to dine with them at the country club on more than one occasion. "It's good to have you and your family here for the evening." The attorney stepped to the side to eye up my brothers and me.

Darry took over introductions. "Mr. Ottavi, this is my brother Sodapop, Ponyboy and my sister Scout." The tall gray haired man smiled at all of us and welcomed us into his home. We walked into the cooled house and I was awestruck by the beauty inside. They had large hand painted vases, original oil paintings and the ornate woodwork continued along the walls, stairway and room trim.

"Darry!" Kathryn gracefully came into the foyer dressed in a beautiful light green dress and heels. The two of them kissed on the cheek. I had to bite my lip to hold back an outburst of joy. I had rarely seen them show affection toward each other and I was still holding out hope that they would become more than just great friends. Kathryn greeted all of us. "It is so good to have everyone here for dinner, why don't you three come into the parlor and meet my family and then I think dinner is about ready."

Kathyrn led us into a room to our right where an older lady, and a young couple were sharing small cocktail drinks and chatting softly. I walked closely behind Sodapop who entered the room without hesitation. Darry's friend introduced us to her mother, sister and brother in law. The family then apologized for their eldest daughter, Victoria and her husband. Neither of them could be present because they were vacationing in Acapulco Mexico. I thought about Acapulco and realized I didn't even know where that was, but it sounded beautiful.

The dining room was just as ornate as the rest of the house and was filled with a long cherry wood table and just enough chairs for the expected guests. It sure was a good thing Ponyboy came home in time. I couldn't imagine the embarrassment Darry would have felt if there would have been one empty spot. Mr. Ottavi sat at one end of the table while Mrs. Ottavi sat at the opposite end. I sat between Ponyboy and Sodapop while Darry sat to the right of Mr. Ottavi with Kathryn by his side. As I sat in my chair I noticed Sodapop surveying me for cues on how to behave. I winked at him to let him know I would help him through the formal dinner and I put my hands gently in my lap. Soda did the same.

Immediately a female server, who I assumed was the maid, came out of the kitchen with bowls of hot soup and a plate full of bread. I held onto Soda's arm to be sure he didn't start to eat until everyone had been served. When it was time for the bread to be passed both Pony and Soda did well taking just one roll, even though at home they would have taken three or four.

Mr. Ottavi sipped his soup and began the idle conversation. "Sodapop, your brother tell's me you are a working man!" The attorney smiled and seemed genuinely interested in Soda. "How do you like your job."

Sodapop, being the carefree conversationalist that he is, wasted no time in rambling on about his adventures at the DX and how much he loved working more than school. He shared stories of customers and things that he and Steve would do for kicks. Everyone in the room burst into laugher on more than one occasion. Sodapop's charisma could work on just about anyone, just about anywhere.

During the DX stories the servant took away the soup bowls revealing the dinner plate below. Then in ornate bowls and on ornate plates our dinner arrived. Carefully the families past the bowls and filled their plates with steak, potatoes, carrots and cornbread. My brother's listened well and took just the right amount of food to fill their plate.

Mr. Ottavi was presented a bottle of wine by the server and he spent a moment reading the label and then pulled the cork. "Darry, do you mind if the children have wine with their dinner?" Darry agreed that would be fine. It was odd to see him moving with such poise and grace, he was truly suited for this life style more than our own.

As the wine was served Mr. Ottavi looked toward me. "Scout, Darry tells me you have done well with your school grades!" I thought about the comment and how it may have made Ponyboy feel. Sodapop was the hardworking young boy, I was the brain… what would that make Pony? Before I could wonder if Darry ever bragged about my twin I knew I had a conversation to attend to. "Yes sir."

Mr. Ottavi smiled when he realized I wasn't going to expand the conversation. "Your brother says you and Ponyboy are working hard toward academic scholarships."

I looked over at Darry who was smiling at me. "Yes sir." I said and then realized I should say more. "I hope that I can earn a scholarship for college. I really want to be able to continue my schooling."

"What is it you want to do after college?" Mrs. Ottavi asked, politely interrupting.

I turned my head her way. "I want to be a family court judge."

"I think that is wonderful!" The man smiled at me.

Dinner was delicious and for desert we had the best tasting chocolate cake I had ever tasted. It was so sweet and full of coco that I could only eat half. Ponyboy wasn't ignored either. The Ottavi family talked about art and poetry with him. They made comments that Darry was very proud of Ponyboy's interest in athletics and the pictures he could draw. I was relived that Darry hadn't forgotten to brag about him. If he had, it would have crushed Ponyboy. Even though Pony would have never admitted it. Over the last six months Pony had been seeking Darry's approval more than anything.

Following desert Kathryn asked Darry to stay so Sodapop drove Pony and I home in the truck. Both of my brothers were relieved to be out of there, but I had enjoyed the visit and hoped we could dine with Kathyrn's family again.

Sodapop pulled up outside our house to let Pony and me out of the truck and then pulled away to head to Sandy's house. Up on our porch Casey and Johnny were relaxing on the benches. Casey seemed to be doing all the talking and Johnny all the listening. The scene made me laugh as I thought about Casey thinking he was cute. I wondered if she had bothered to tell him.

"Hey Ponyboy!" Johnny jumped up and walked to the edge of the porch. "How was the dinner? Did Darry chew you out pretty good?"

Johnny and Ponyboy sat down on the bench by the front door. "Nah he didn't yell at me too bad. Dinner was ok, it was just food."

"Johnny don't listen to him!" I yelled out and sat down by Casey. "Dinner was amazing. I wish you two could have been there. Everything was perfect! The food was so good it just about melted in your mouth. Darry let us have wine with our dinner, served in crystal glasses and they had a lady to serve it all!" I looked out at our rundown neighborhood, but all I saw was my future. Big houses lined the carpets of green grass, beautiful dresses and dinner parties.

"Sound like you had a nice time Scout." Johnny said as he attempted to flip his bangs away from his eyes.

I happily sighed. "I did. Jonnycakes it was absolutely incredible. It was how I want my life to be when I grow up."

Ponyboy grew agitated as he often does with the topic of the socials comes up. "What's the matter with the life you got now? You to good to be here with us?"

"No!" I shot back at my brother. "Pony that's not what I am saying. I just want my grown up life to be different. I want to have more for my family."

"Oh, so now mom and dad weren't good enough to you?" Pony deliberately twisted my words.

"Ponyboy that is not what I said!" I yelled in a drawl. "Why are you being do…" My words were cut short by the rumbling sound of a muscle car turning the corner by Johnny's house and cruising slowly in our direction. Together Johnny and I cowered back near the front door as Casey and Ponyboy stiffened up and stood like protectors on the front porch.

"Whose that?" Casey asked of the shinny white mustang as it approached.

"Socs." Ponyboy said coolly as he stared them down. The car drove by and the driver flicked a cigarette out the window and the passengers glared back. No words were exchanged, but the message was clear.

The socs were superior and they wanted to make it known.

The car disappeared from sight and Johnny and I breathed a little easier. Neither one of us would ever forget the day we were jumped.

Casey turned toward Ponyboy, confused. "So that's it? They just drive by?"

"No. If we weren't in our own yard behind this fence they'd have come after us." Ponyboy told her.

Caseycakes shook her head and frowned. "I just don't understand why."

"Don't worry about it." Ponyboy said as he pulled opened the screen door. It wasn't safe to be outside any longer. "None of us do."


	10. Chapter ten

Chapter ten 

With the long summer days Tulsa had many rodeo events. The biggest was the Rodeo Cowboys Association National Championship that came to town late in the summer. Mary Lynn and Casey were self-proclaimed cowgirls and they invited me to go with them for the weekend. The rodeo was a three-day competition and Mary Lynn had received free passes from a friend for all of the events. I didn't have to beg Darry much to let me go. He liked Casey and trusted her mom to look after me. Darry's biggest problem was that he didn't have a lot of extra money for me to take to buy food and drinks. I told him not to worry because I had a little money saved up in my room.

The three of us girls headed out to the rodeo late Friday afternoon. Mary Lynn and Casey dressed like twins and looked like the perfect cowgirls in tight blue jeans, a large ladylike belt buckle, cowboy boots and a hat to match. I lacked a few essential items like the cowboy boots, hat, belt buckle and tight jeans. So instead I wore cut off jean shorts, my tennis shoes and a button up white t-shirt, which I had tucked in when I left the house, but tied the shirttails in a knot above my waist once I got into the car.

When we arrived Mary Lynn met up with a group of her friends and told us we were on our own. Then the group of cowgirls went off in search of some real cowboys. Casey looked over at me with a wicked smile across her face. "Come on Scout. Let's go find us a few cowboys ourselves."

I grinned and followed after her. This was a national championship rodeo and all the famous riders were there. The event also had the junior rodeo champions so the fairgrounds were littered with teenagers too. Casey easily found her way to the junior bull riding ring and we found a few seats in the bleachers where we could easily see the young cowboys sitting around wasting time before their rides. I sat in the stands and watched the competition while Casey watched the boys. "Oh Scout just look at'em all. Aint they cute?" I just smiled as she rambled on. "I'm gonna get me a good looking one for the weekend and I'm gonna find a real nice one for you too!"

"Casey what are you talking about?"

Casey looked down at me. "I'm talking about cowboys! Aint you ever dated a cowboy before?"

I thought about the question. I had only dated one boy and that was James, and I was pretty sure he wasn't a cowboy. "No, I just turned fourteen!"

"Oh girl!" Casey drawled and rubbed her hands together with excitement. "You aint lived till you spent the weekend with a group of traveling cowboys. Plus we got to find us some cool dates because tomorrow is the Under the Stars rodeo dance. Come on." Casey stood up and grabbed my hand. We walked over to an area that was fenced off and a hanging sign read 'bull riders only'. "Ok if anyone asks you're sixteen." With that Casey climbed up on a cattle gate, stuck her fingers in her mouth and whistled at the boys who were practicing rope tricks and sitting around with their hats tipped low over their eyes. "Any of you boys looking to meet up with a local for the weekend?" Then Casey flashed her charming smile.

A handful of boys walked over to the gate to greet her. One tall dark haired boy in a red cowboy shirt answered her call. "Well there darlin' if you're a local I'd be mighty happy to meet up with you!"

"I am," Casey drawled and giggled at the same time. "This here is my friend Scout. She's a local but she don't know much about rodeos… think ya'll can teach us all ya know?"

"Scout?" Another boy with a face full of freckles laughed. "What kind of Scout is ya? Boy Scout or Girl Scout?" Then he and a few others laughed. For a second I worried about being teased then I thought about Two-Bit, no one could ever tease him because he found everything funny. I wasn't going to let a little comment ruin my afternoon.

In a flash I answered back. "Well with a face like yours you'll never get close enough to find out." I grinned and jumped up on the gate with Casey. The cowboys laughed and made fun of the boy, whose name turned out to be Ralph.

"Well I kind of like the name Scout." A boy drawled from the back of the group. He walked forward and smiled at me. He had a sun kissed face and ocean blue eyes. "My name's Danny Percell and me and my friend Tom Tucker here would be happy to show you two around the rodeo for the weekend." Danny looked over at the tall dark and handsome boy who had first approached Casey. "Wouldn't we Tuck?"

"Absolutely!" Tom tipped his hat and the two of them scampered over the gate to be by our sides. "So how old are you girls?"

"We're sixteen," Casey answered assuredly. "How bout ya'll?"

"Danny there is sixteen and I'm seventeen." Tom through his arm around Casey's shoulder and she soaked up the attention. "So ya'll got last names?"

"Sure we do!" Casey answered.

Danny laughed at her and looked down at me. "Well what are they?" He was so close to me that I was too nervous to speak.

Casey was good at talking and she spoke up. "She's Curtis and I'm Dobbins."

Tuck stopped and turned toward her seemly star struck. "You're Casey Dobbins? Daughter of Duke Dobbins the bull riding champion on the New Mexico circuit?"

She smiled big and proud. "The one and only!"

Tuck stood with pride. "Awe baby! This is going to be a good weekend!" Then he let out a big yee haw!

I couldn't help but laugh and look over at Danny. "So what are you two going to teach us about the rodeo?"

"Well, how bout roping?" Danny grabbed a curl of rope off a fence post and twirled it above my head. Before I could be impressed he let he rope fall around me and he gave it a quick tug. The rope gathered up tight around me pinching my arms to my body.

Tuck let out an 'Awe Haw' and added. "Then we better teach you something about kissing a cowboy."

I think I blushed at the words, I know I blushed when Tuck took Casey in his arms and kissed her. I turned away so I wasn't staring and I felt a tug at the rope. I stepped close to Danny and could fell the warmth of his body next to mine as he removed his hat and kissed me too. For a brief second I felt my knees go weak. We parted and I looked into his charming eyes and I think I fell in love. At least it felt like love, but I needed to check again so I moved my face close to his and we kissed again while he loosened up the rope and let it fall to the ground.

Tuck and Casey were watching and my friend yelled out. "Come on you two! Save some for later, we got a whole 'nother day!"

Her comment made me laugh and we broke our kiss. The four of us headed back to the bleachers to watch the competition. Even though I knew a lot about rodeos I played dumb and let Danny explain everything to me. We sat together on the wooden bench and talked about the competition. When Casey and Tucker headed to the concession stand for cokes I asked Danny who Duke Dobbins was.

"Ol'Duke's one of the best bull riders in all the southwest." Danny said as he tipped the brim of his cowboy hat up. "Or at least he was till he got kicked out of most of the major circuits."

"Kicked out?" I asked, "What did he do to get kicked out?"

"Darlin' he did the sin of all sins at a rodeo." Danny drawled and looked at me with his trusting blue eyes. "He thought another rider was sleeping around with his wife so he lost his temper and killed one of the man's horses. Duke went to jail for awhile and the R.C.A. fined him and banned him from most major competitions. From what I understand the circuit don't let Duke ride no more neither."

I sat there with my mouth dropped open. "Do you think it was true? I mean that Duke's wife was sleeping around with other men?"

"Shoot!" Danny Percell smiled and his face lit up. "Duke was one to talk, he slept with more cowgirls on the side then he rode bulls… and he's rode a lot of bulls!"

Danny never did answer if he thought the affair was true, I guess it didn't matter. Casey and Tuck returned with Cokes for everyone and Danny and I continued to talk about his life. I learned he was from Montana and his dad was a well known cowboy, Jack Percell. Danny had just stared bull riding in competitions a few years ago and he didn't do too bad.

Tuck heard Danny's comment and remarked. "Scout what he should have told you was he doesn't do to good!" I laughed. I didn't care, if he was good at bull riding or not, I just cared that I met him. He was so sweet and different than anyone I ever remember meeting in Tulsa.

When it was the boy's turn to ride Casey and I sat on the bench and watched our new friends get thrown to and fro on the back of the giant angry animal. Danny went before Tuck and his ride was impressive to me, but his time was short, 6.2 seconds. Tom Tucker rode next and he stayed on for seven seconds and was leading the competition. I had to laugh at Casey as she yelled out to the crowd "That's my man!"

I thought about how easily she allowed herself to become immediately attached to a guy and nonchalantly she would let them go in just a day. Several times she had tried to convince me to be more like her. She said I needed to have fun with guys and that dating for a short time was better than any long-term commitment. In fact she often equated dating to going to the ice cream store. She didn't think you could eat the same flavor every day because you would grow tired of it to quickly. She preferred sampling and she wanted me to sample too. I don't know if it was just my age or the romantic notion of having a life like my parents, but I didn't want to sample. I just wanted a prince charming to ride out of a book and be perfect for me.

After watching the boys ride a second time the four of us headed to a food stand to get some dinner. I thought about the money in my pocket and decided I would leave it there and just eat when I got home. The other three had plenty of money to spend and they loaded their trays up with food and joined me at a picnic table illuminated by the setting sun.

Danny took a drink of his soda to wash away the food he had eaten. "Scout aint you gonna eat anything?"

"No, I'm not hungry." My stomach rumbled loudly unveiling my lie.

"You sure sound hungry." Tucker said as he shoved some french fries into his mouth.

Casey looked over at me. "Did you bring any money with you?"

"Yeah, I just … I'll just eat when I get home."

Tuck yelled out, "Well darling you are with us and you won't be home for hours so go get something to eat."

Casey smiled and leaned on her boyfriend of the moment. "Scout here hasn't had a good go around of things this year. She lost both parents in a car accident and she lives with her older brothers now." I looked over at her as she continued to ramble the way she often does. "They don't have a lot of money, but they are really great folks!"

Danny looked over at me and spoke with concern. "Well now darling you didn't tell me that." Then he hoped up from his seat and went to the concessions window and returned with a cheeseburger, fries and a coke for me. "Here you go! Bon appetite!"

"Thanks Danny." I said with a little guilt because I didn't spend my money on my own dinner. Truth was I didn't have enough money to eat all weekend so I had to be choosy about when I spent my money.

Danny wrapped his arm around me. "Your welcome sweetheart. It just isn't fair your parents being gone and all, it's the least I could do."

The food was good and it filled an empty spot in my belly. As night fell we walked with the boys to a campsite set up behind the fairgrounds. There were some campers there but most of the young boys were set up in tents in one of the hay fields. The site was full of young cowboys and cowgirls all hanging out together, drinking, laughing and playing cards. The four of us joined the group of kids chatting around a bonfire. I looked around, but didn't recognize anyone. I didn't actively join the conversation like Casey did, she was a whiz when it came to socializing. Instead Danny and I shared a conversation between us.

"I love how bright the stars are in the country." I tilted my head way back to look into the sky. "In the city the stars are never bright enough with all the lights."

Danny looked over at me, "hey you want to go for a walk?"

"Sure, where too?"

"I don't know, just away from here." Danny said and he stood up and pulled me to my feet. We walked past Tucker and Casey and Tuck gave his friend two bottles of beer. I told Danny I didn't drink and Casey was happy to have my share.

The two of us walked off into the darkness of the hayfield a few hundred yards from the tents and other kids. "So …" Danny started conversation as we strolled. "How did your parents die? If you don't mind me asking."

"They were killed together in a car accident." I shared the story with him and he took my hand. His skin was warm and his hands were calloused from riding in the rodeo all summer. "Their car slid on some ice and collided with a train."

"Oh wow…." Danny said stunned. "So you live with your brothers?"

"Yeah," I was not well versed in keeping a conversation going.

"How many brothers you got?" Danny stopped and we laid down together in the green hay and looked up at the starry sky.

"Three. Darry is the oldest, he's twenty. Then there's my sixteen year old brother Sodapop, and yes that is his real name." I looked over at Danny laughing. "If you think that is a weird one my twin brother's name is Ponyboy."

"Ponyboy? Yeah that is a different name." Danny smiled at me and thought about my family. "You said you're a twin huh?"

"Yeah." I said not realizing I had blown the fake identity Casey had set up for me.

Danny rolled to his side, propped his body up on his elbow and looked down at me. "Well, correct me if I am wrong, but if your older brother is sixteen I bet you're not."

I looked at him in the dark and bit my lip then told him the truth. "Yeah the age thing was Casey's idea. I'm really fourteen and a half."

"Fourteen! Oh darlin' you really stretched the truth!" Danny laughed and fell back on his back to stare into the night sky.

I defended myself. "I didn't stretch the truth at all! You just made the mistake of believing Casey. I never said I was sixteen." I laughed.

"Well that's true." Danny looked over at me and grabbed my hand. "If you are only fourteen I bet you are past your bedtime by now."

"Maybe I am." I smiled and dared to be reckless. "It doesn't bother me if it doesn't bother you." Then Danny rolled over and kissed me sending sensations through my body that asked me to kiss him more, so I did. His kisses were warm and smooth, and he was respectful of me. His hands never dared to stray anywhere I didn't want them too. Danny Percell was a real gentleman, and I love being able to trust him.

"So will you accompany me to the dance tomorrow night?"

I looked up at his eyes that were shining like the moon. "You bet I will! I know Casey and I were planning on coming back here tomorrow." Then I laughed. "That is if I get home in time for curfew."

"Well what time is that?" Danny strained to see the time on his watch.

"Midnight."

"Darlin' we best be getting you home then, because I definitely want to see you tomorrow!" Danny and I strolled back to the bonfire together hand in hand. When we got there Casey was nowhere to be found. A few of the other cowboys said her and Tuck headed off to do a little 'bronc riding' and we knew what they meant. I started to get antsy about getting home on time so Danny offered to drive me home.

We headed to another section of the fairgrounds where his dad had the horse trailer and camper. While we walked I wondered what it was like, sex that is. I wondered if I was missing out by not seizing the moment like Casey. Then I thought about Mary Lynn pregnant at my age and I decided again that I wasn't missing anything I couldn't wait for.

Danny talked about his father's habit of heavy drinking and bar fights. We were lucky that his dad didn't take the pickup truck out to the nearest honky tonk bar so Danny drove me home. I sat next to him in the cab and he kept his arm around me tight. When we arrived at my house the cowboy held the truck door open for me and walked me to the front door.

Seeing that I wasn't with Mary Lynn or Casey, Darry flew to the front door to find out what was going on. Before my brother could yell or ask questions Danny used his charming manners and introduced himself. He said it was a real pleasure to meet him and he was looking forward to seeing me again in the morning. Then in front of Darry he kissed me goodbye, on the cheek of course. I watched him drive away and sighed. I couldn't wait for the morning.

_Note: The Character of Danny Percell is not mine. I have borrowed him from a television show called Tour of Duty. Danny's physical description is based on the actor who portrayed Danny Percell (Tony Becker). Percell's background and family life are also creations of the show Tour of Duty._


	11. Chapter eleven

**WARNING!** _**The following chapter is rated R for sexual content**. These events are fictitious and are part of a character's life set in the late 1960's. Times were different back then and I strongly encourage all youth to refrain from sexual activity until adulthood. I have decided to post this sceneas writing practice for me to see if I can write it well. If you or your parents do not wish you to read this rated fanfiction please respect their wishes. Also if you skip this chapter you will not miss an important part of the plot. Everything in this chapter will soon be summed up in a following chapter. __Thank you for your time in reading this warning._

Chapter eleven

I set my alarm clock and was awake just before Darry and Sodapop. I slipped on my loafers and headed out the back door to Casey's house. As I ran through the back gate I noticed her mother's car wasn't parked in the street. I had worried all night that the two of them didn't come home from the rodeo. I knocked and knocked, no one answered. Frustrated I walked back home and flopped on the couch while Darry and Soda woke and showered for work.

"Sissy what are you doing up?" Soda yelled before he went into the bathroom.

"I'm waiting for Casey and her mom to come and get me. We have passes to the rodeo again." I thought about the pass in my pocket and hoped Casey and her mom would come by and pick me up. The fairgrounds were too far away for me to walk to. I sat on the couch and thought about the one problem I had, I needed to find a way to get out of my curfew for the night.

"Darry!" I called to my brother and walked into the kitchen where he was making coffee for the morning. "Hey… Casey wants to know if I can sleep over with her tonight."

Darry looked down at me and I worried that my face would tell that I was lying. "Is her mom going to be home?"

"Sure!" I lied again.

My brother sighed and thought about the request. "Ok, but I want you to be good."

A large smile spread across my face. "I will!" I helped Darry make toast and ham for breakfast and the three of us ate together before my brothers had to leave for work. As soon as they were out the door I showered, dressed and waited for Casey and her mom to come. I waited and waited. As the minutes ticked past ten o'clock I was livid waiting for those two and I finally resolved that they weren't coming. Both of them had most likely spent the night under the stars with a cowboy in there arms and I had to come home for curfew!

I walked out onto the porch and noticed Two-Bit pulling up in his old car. A wicked idea came to mind and I jolted down the front steps and into the passenger seat before he was out of the car. "Two-Bit, I need you to do something for me."

Two-Bit jumped slightly and laughed. "What do you need me to do?"

"I need a ride to the fairgrounds." I pulled the passenger door shut.

"To do what?" Two-Bit cocked an eyebrow and waited for my reasoning.

"I need to meet Casey there."

"Let me get this straight." Two-Bit pivoted in his seat, threw his arm over the headrest and faced me. "You want me to drive you across town and leave you at the fairgrounds… alone." I shook my head and waited for him to start the car up. "No way Scout!"

"Awe come on Two-Bit!" I whined.

"Sissy if I drop you off at the rodeo and leave you there Darry will kick my head in!"

I smiled slyly. "Come on Two-Bit. Darry doesn't have to know a thing. I already know where Casey is going to be and if Darry asks I'll say she came and picked me up. Please!" Two-Bit paused in thought and I snapped at him. "Some hypocrite you are! Sissy you need to loosen up! Sissy you need to learn to be wilder and have fun! Then when I ask you to help me have fun you pull Darry into this! You're unbelieveable!"

I sat back in the seat, folded my arms across my chest and waited. I knew Two-Bit wouldn't handle having his words thrown back at him. I was sure he would crack and take me across town. I didn't look at him so he had time to simmer in his thoughts. Then as expected Two-Bit turned the key and fired up the ignition.

"Alright! But I never drove you there, agreed?"

"Agreed!"

Two-Bit pulled the car away from the curb and laughed. "You know ever since Casey moved into this neighborhood you have been wilder and sassier around the gang. I'm starting to wish I had kept my mouth shut and you were still the same sweet, shy girl you were two months ago."

I laughed. "Two-Bit, you know my dad always said careful what you wish for!"

Two-Bit let me off at the front gate to the rodeo and I used my pass to get in. The clock at the gate said 10:45 so I headed in the direction of the junior bull riding ring. I skipped up to the same gate Casey and I had hung on the day before. Climbing up a few rungs gave me a better visual glance at the cowboys sitting in the shade.

A voice spoke from behind me. "Are you looking for anyone in particular?"

I turned about to find Danny Percell grinning at me. "Just a good looking guy I met yesterday. Have you seen him?"

Danny smiled and his crystal blue eyes danced in delight. "No, but I am sure I could take his place if you let me."

I climbed down off the gate and stepped close to him. "Let's just see about that." I looked up at him and our lips met in a kiss. "Ok, you'll do just fine."

Danny and I held hands and we walked around the fairgrounds looking at the animals and displays that were set up for the weekend. "Did you get in any trouble last night?"

"No, my brother was a little worried about why I wasn't with Mary Lynn and Casey, but I just told him they met some old friends and you offered to take me home. I think he was too tired to argue."

"Late night for him?"

"Every night is late for Darry. He roofs houses in the day hours and works down at the rail yard at least four nights a week. If he gets a Friday or Saturday night off he usually spends it waiting up for Pony, me and Soda to get home."

"Oh my," Danny frowned. "And here I though getting up early in the morning to do chores and feed the horses was bad. So he works almost everyday to provide for the three of you?"

"Well, yes and no." I looked up at Danny who was truly interested in learning more about my life. "Sodapop works a fulltime job too and the State pays Darry a little bit of money to take care of us. See he's our guardian, but we are really wards of the State because Darry didn't adopt us or anything like that…does that all make sense."

"Sure." Danny said and pulled on my arm that was holding his hand until I circled around in front of him so he could wrap his arms around me. "I just want you to know that I really like you." Danny smiled. "I know we only have a few hours left together, but I want you to know that I hope everything turns out well for you and your brothers. Maybe someday we will see each other again." Then we kissed and I felt a rush of sadness fill my emotions.

At that point I knew Danny had felt as close to me as I had been feeling towards him. Unfortunately we both understood the distance that was soon to come and split us apart. I wished it didn't have to, but wishing never really worked for me.

After we left the show barn with the horses Danny had to be back at ring for the finals so we walked to the stands to see if Tucker and Casey were around. Danny told me he was sure Casey was around somewhere because she had spent the night with Tucker.

We waited together until Danny was scheduled to ride again. I kissed him for good luck and sat alone on the bleachers watching the competition until Casey finally showed up. "Where in the hell have you been?" I scolded.

Casey laughed, "kid you don't want to know." Sometimes my friend liked to point out the fact that she was older than me. She pulled a cigarette out of her purse and lit it up. "How are things with you and Danny?"

I shrugged and acted disinterested, "he's a nice guy."

"Nice! He's gorgeous!" She blew the smoke away from me. "So did you two spend the night together like Tuck and I?"

I scowled at her. "No! And where were you last night? I had to have Danny drive me home, I almost missed curfew and Darry is not very forgiving!"

All my friend did was laugh. "Sorry about that. I should have let you know that mom and I wouldn't be headed home. We probably won't tonight either. I haven't seen my mom, but I know I am spending another night with Tucker."

I smiled back at her. "Don't worry, I am prepared for that!"

"What do you mean?"

I winked at her. "I told Darry I was spending the night at your house…so I don't have to worry about missing curfew." Casey laid her hand out and I slapped her five. Casey was proud of my deviance and so was I because I knew I was acting more and more like Sodapop and Two-Bit had encouraged me to.

Casey and I kicked back in the hot sun and watched the boys bull ride. She knew everything there was to know about the sport. I had wanted to ask her for sometime about her father but I wasn't sure if she would be willing to talk about him, especially considering the story Danny had told me. I took my chance in asking. "So Casey how do you know your way around a rodeo so well?"

"I grew up on the rodeo circuit."

"Is that what your dad does for a living? Ride bulls?" I stared down at my shoes hoping she would tell me a little more about her past.

"Yeah, he was a champion for a few years, but he's got himself a mighty bad temper." She looked over at me, but I still wasn't looking at her. "I thought I already told you that."

"No," I looked up and squinted into the sun. "You hadn't even told me that you lived in New Mexico."

"Yeah." Casey sighed and looked off into the distance. "We had a little house there, but my pa spent money faster than he could make it and he had a way with women, if you know what I mean…"

"So you and your mom took off?"

"More like took off in the dead of night." Casey ground the burnt end of her cigarette into the wooden bench in front of us. "He had been on the circuit in Arizona and my mom drove out to see him. She found him with two rodeo bimbos and called the marriage quits right then and there. Pa don't take well to losing and he was pretty pissed she wanted a divorce. A few days later he came home in the middle of the night and tried to strangle her to death." I listened intently and my stomach turned at the vision in my head as she continued. "I heard her struggling and kicking the wall … so I ran into their bedroom, grabbed him and pulled him backwards. My mom called the operator and pa took off before the police arrived. We packed up and left that night and aint seen him since."

I stared at my friend in shock. "I guess it's my turn to be sorry."

Casey smiled. "Don't worry 'bout it none, it's in the past." Casey and I sat in the stands for the long afternoon, watched the boys ride and talked about how she used to barrel ride and her family raised a few horses. I told her about how Sodapop once worked at a stable and there was a horse there that he loved to death and how he was crushed when the horse was sold.

Later that afternoon Casey and I met up with Danny and Tucker who had taken third and second place in the competition. They had cash in their pockets and were ready to party after the sun went down. Tucker slapped Casey on the butt. "Hey girl! You going to get wild and rowdy with me tonight!"

"You bet I am!" She drawled. "How'bout you Danny, you and Scout ready to kick up your heels and party at the big dance?" Then she winked at me.

"Damn straight!" Danny grabbed my hand and the four of us walked to the dinner tent that was set for award presentations and the evening dance under the stars.

"Yeeeee Haaawwwww!" The cowboy yell shocked my system as we stepped into the crowded tent for dinner. Danny laughed at me a little and held me close. "That cowboy give you a fright?"

"A little I guess," I liked being held close to his side. "I just wasn't expecting it."

The four of us filled our plates and sat with the large crowd. As the sun sank from the sky we listened to the names of the big winners from the rodeo. One name caught my ear, Jack Percell.

I looked around the room but didn't see anyone stand up. I turned to Danny, "That's your dad right?" Danny shook his head yes. "Where is he?"

"Well you see, my father finds events like this a bore, so he is probably off getting into a bar fight in some dirty little honky tonk somewhere." Danny was clearly annoyed by his father's behavior. I thought about Dallas and how he avoided being the center of attention unless it was something raunchy or illegal. Dally loved to win but wouldn't ever consider recognition part of his championship. I wondered why some men revered recognition, and some men rejected it.

The announcer completed the presentations and outside the tent I heard a series of gun shots. I jumped at the sound, I had always hated the sound of gunshots, but the crowd hooted and hollered and Danny leaned over and grabbed my hand. "Let's go Darling it's time to dance!"

We headed out with the crowd to dance the night away under the stars. The first dance of the evening was a square dance and I struggled to follow along, don't forget I got an A- in gym class where they taught square dancing. As I struggled I hoped they would play some more rock and roll or dancing music, but this was a rodeo and all we heard was Hank Williams, Merle Haggard and Johnny Cash.

Dancing to country music meant we were either hopping and spinning around or melting together during a melancholy song. I preferred the slow dancing. As Pasty Cline's recording of "Crazy" blared out of the speakers I stepped close to Danny as he held me in his arms. We danced cheek to cheek except for the times that we kissed under the moonlight. I thought about the words of Patsy's song, "And I'm crazy for lovin you..." I thought about how crazy it was that I had fallen for this young man so quickly. I didn't know what, but something about him seemed to complete me, for the moment.

As the night grew long couples slowly faded away from the dance. Danny and I stayed till the very end, and it was well after midnight. Together we strolled back to the little tent city where the party was set to continue. There were cowboys, cowgirls and drinks everywhere. Danny had a few beers and I took some swigs of different alcohols from the bottles past around, but I didn't like any of it. We sat around the bonfire listening to stories of cowboy tales and lies. Upon occasion from the closed tents we would hear the distinct rhythmic panting of a girl followed by an explosive cowboy yodeling "yee haw". Everyone knew what was going on underneath the canvas.

Well into the morning hours Danny smiled down at me. "You ready to hit the hay?"

That smile was more intoxicating then the liquor. "Sure." I said and followed behind him. We removed our socks and shoes, which was done to keep the bedding inside the tent clean. I crawled in and Danny followed me. Inside the tent the glow from the bonfire made everything visible. I watched as Danny undid his big belt buckle and left the leather belt hanging in his jeans. I couldn't help but stare as he undid the button and zipper and slide out of his clothes leaving himself to sleep in his boxers. "Well aren't you going to get comfortable?"

I smiled nervously and pulled off my cut off jean shorts. I was uncomfortable in my bra so I discretely removed that as well. Unplanned the two of us met face to face in the firelight as the panting from another tent filled my ears and made my body tingle. Danny leaned close and kissed me. At first we kissed slow and then the intensity picked up. The young man slowly unbuttoned my white short sleeve shirt revealing my naked breasts. I ran my hand up his bare chest to his neck and then dropped my kisses to the same area.

My body jumped slightly as he laid his hands on my breasts. I relaxed and allowed the sensation to fill my body with an unexplainable desire. We worked together to finish undressing one another until it was just he and I, naked in the passionate glow of the firelight.

I looked into his eyes and knew he didn't want to do anything I didn't want to do. I respected him for that. I thought about stopping and then remembered that I never allowed myself to take the chance or experience life. I decided this would be an experience I wanted to enjoy.

I picked my head up from where it was resting on the pillow and kissed him deeply. I put both of my hands to the side of his face and gently guided him over top of me. Softly he asked me if I was sure I wanted to continue. I answered softly, "Yes".

Danny slowly meshed the two of us together sending slight sensations of pain through my body. My eyes opened wide as I wondered what I had done and if I was really sure of myself. Slowly he moved and as the rhythmic motion increased I developed a quiet whispering pant of my own. I looked up at him propped up on his elbows to keep the bulk of his muscular weight off me. He looked like a heroic knight found only in fairytales. I thought about how handsome he was and I began to sweat in the hot summer night air. Faster and harder he continued to move above me. Faster and harder my silent panting became. Just as I wondered what I was expected to experience the muscles in my legs began to tighten. Within my groin came a sensation that I have no words to describe. Then the sensation exploded to every muscle and nerve in my body causing my back to arch and my body to feel as if, for just a second, it was floating effortlessly in mid air.

No longer could I keep my voice unheard and I spoke impulsively "Danny… oh yes, Danny!" Danny gave into the passion repeating the phrase "Oh yeah, oh yeah" and then fell heavy on my body. The two of us held each other as the panting subsided and we regained our breath.

The young cowboy raised his head and softly caressed my cheek before kissing me one last time before we drifted off to sleep in nothing but our nakedness. With that an era of my life ended. In a moment my virginity was gone at the tender age of fourteen.


	12. Chapter twelve

Chapter twelve 

The weeks following the rodeo I missed Danny something awful. He was in all of my thoughts, and I couldn't believe I had found a great guy and couldn't keep him. Sure we could have wrote letters and kept in touch, but it wouldn't have been the same so we just parted ways with a final kiss. I moped around the house a little, but none of my brothers knew why and Casey didn't understand because she rarely got attached to one man.

Luckily I didn't have to try hard to find something to keep me busy because Casey always had us doing something. "Hey do you want to walk to the Dairy Queen and get some ice cream?"

"Sure." I always answered yes because I never had a reason to say anything else. "We'll have to stop by the DX and see Soda so I can get some money from him."

"Cool!" Casey smiled. Visiting Sodapop was one of her favorite things to do. The two of us slipped on our tennis shoes and headed to the station. It was late in the afternoon and I had no idea where Pony and Johnny were. I half expected them to be at the station, but was surprised to learn they hadn't been there all day.

"Hey Caseycakes!" Soda yelled from the front door of the station. "Where are you and Sissy headed?"

"To the DQ for some ice cream, wanna come?" She smiled and Sodapop grinned back at her.

"Nah I gotta stay here and work, but you two have fun." Soda handed me fifty cents and the two of us continued our walk

The ice cream stand was full of old cars and people. Before we bought anything Casey wanted to make the rounds and visit with the guys and girls that she knew. She sat on the hood of a car and began flirting with a boy I had seen around the Sheppard gang before. The two of them hit it off fairly well so I knew it was going to be a long conversation. I hopped up on the hood next to her and waited. Minutes later the boy's friends came back from visiting with a group of girls in a car a few parking spots away.

"Hey Vincent you ready to head out?" Curly Sheppard said as he led the pack of boys and he caught my eye. "Well well, if it isn't Ponyboy's little sister." He flashed his greasy smile. "You still got that solid right hook on ya?"

"Hey Curly." I said to be friendly.

Curly lit up a cigarette and clenched it in his teeth while he spoke. "Aint you suppose to be far away from guys like us?"

I looked at him. "What do you mean?" Then my vision caught those green eyes. James was a few feet behind his friend, he had grown taller and looked different. He didn't say anything to me, but he kept his gaze fixed to mine.

"Hi James." I said and hopped off the car. "Casey we gotta go."

"Don't leave on my account." James barked and I glared back at him.

"Fine, I won't." With that I hopped back up to where I was sitting.

Casey laughed and elbowed me. "That the creepy guy you were talking about?"

I smiled because I was glad she said it loud enough for everyone to hear. "Yeah, that's him."

"He's pretty damn cute!" Casey batted her eyes at him, but he didn't say anything to her.

Boldly he walked over and leaned up against the car a few inches from where I was sitting. In the past I probably would have gotten scared or walked away, but not anymore. Having Casey in my life helped to build my self confidence and I wasn't leaving on account of him being there. So the two of us held our ground as I started snotty conversation. "So you and Cindy married yet?"

"No." He stared at me, "I gave her your ring and all, but I don't see her anymore. As for marriage I am still holding out for you."

"Really? I hadn't heard that hell was freezing over anytime soon." The crowd hissed at the comment and waited for James' response.

"You know what Scout? I'm the type of guy that gets what he wants," he leaned close to me in a threatening manner, "and if I don't get it… I just take it and there aint nothing your brother's are going to be able to do about it."

I heard his words, but didn't jump, or cringe or run. I was emotionally stronger now and I didn't fear him. "I dig what you're saying?" I said and looked him in the eye. "It's your death sentence if you do." The crowd hissed again and laughed at the comments.

James grabbed a hold of my arm and squeezed it tight as a show of superiority. I could have punched him or wiggled free but instead I just dared him. "I'd like to see you try!" Our eyes stayed connected while the crowd yelled out a mix of 'get her! Take her right there on the hood!' and 'just let her go. Get over it'. Knowing I wasn't scared he finally released his grip and said quietly. "You're lucky I still care about you." Then he walked away and a few of his friends followed him as the crowd dispersed.

To the right of me I heard a few slow loud claps and I turned to see Two-Bit and Dally standing by the side of the DQ. "I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it!" Two-Bit said to Dallas.

"Who is that girl?" Dally asked rhetorically. "It sure aint Scout because she would have taken off running and we would have had to take care of that boy ourselves."

I hopped off the car and walked toward my friends and Casey threw her arm over my shoulder. "I've made a new girl out of her!"

"You sure have." Two-Bit commented. "I don't know if I like it though."

"Awe come on what's not to like?" Casey asked and leaned up against the building as I stood before the three of them.

"I'm not saying there isn't enough there to like," Two-Bit smiled, "I'm just saying I used to like her being our little sister. We kind of liked looking out for her."

"Well you all can still look out for me Two-Bit!" I said and shoved my hands in my pockets.

"We will…" Two-Bit smiled and Dallas reached over and messed up my hair. The four of us bought some ice cream and then started walking over to the Dingo to look for Johnny and Ponyboy.

We were halfway to our destination when a car pulled up close behind us and we heard the chirp of a police siren. We turned to see the police officer get out of this car and no one moved except Dallas. He tried to take off running but a second squad car pulled up to him, an officer jumped out of the car and tackled him to the ground.

"Lordy!" I gasped, "What he do now?"

"I don't know, let's go see." Two-Bit said and Casey and I ran over to where the officers were getting rough with Dallas. "Hey! Leave him alone!" Two-Bit yelled but one of the cocky officers turned around and held his billy club in his hand and threatened Two-Bit telling him to back off or he'll be next. Two-Bit stepped back and kept his mouth shut.

Casey and I heard an officer read Dallas his rights and tell him he was going to jail for burglary. Then two of them hoisted Dally off the ground and I saw him laughing at he police as blood filled the gaps in his teeth and ran down his chin. Without struggle our friend climbed into the squad car and was hauled away.

"What'd he burglarize?" Casey asked.

Two-Bit still stared in the direction of the fleeing car. "Oh… I think he broke into Old Jakes liquor store a few weeks ago and stole some money and stuff."

"Are you serious?" I kind of yelled because I was still a little shocked from watching the arrest.

Two-Bit looked at me like I had just asked him if the sky was blue. "Yeah I'm serious! Didn't you hear about it?"

"No!"

"Oh." Then Two-Bit laughed.

I grew angry at his indifference. "Two-Bit this is no laughing matter! Dally just got arrested again! He's going to jail!"

We all started to walk towards the Dingo again and Two-Bit didn't seem to have a care. "Awe hell, he's been arrested before and he'll get arrested again. It's not that surprising!"

"Do the crime, do the time!" Casey added with a grin.

"That's right baby." Two-Bit smiled and threw and arm over each of our shoulders. "Besides he'll be out before he has to go before the judge." I couldn't quite understand how Two-Bit just accepted criminal behavior. Then again I was thinking of the same guy who considered shoplifting to be a sport.

We found Pony and Johnny drinking Pepsi's at the Dingo talking to some kids Ponyboy knew from school. My brother told us about some excitement at the Dingo a few minutes before we arrived. Three carloads of socs circled the diner yelling names and throwing things. Without hesitation two carloads of greasers drove off after them. Ponyboy and Two-Bit tried to imagine the socs getting their butts kicked in their own turf when the greasers caught up to them. We waited around for another hour to see if anyone returned with a victory story, but no dice. Finally the sun began to sink in the sky and the four of us began the long walk home.

"So you all ready for school on Monday?" Two-Bit asked the four of us.

"I know you all aren't, but I sure am!" I said with a smile. I loved school as much as Two-Bit, just for other reasons.

Two-Bit laughed like a hyena. "Sissy you are probably the only person I know … no wait, you are the only person I know who wishes all summer for school to start."

I blushed, a little embarrassed. "I just always liked school. It's a challenge."

"Yeah I can see that." Two-Bit helped me reason as a bead of sweat ran down his forehead. "It's like me fighting, or lifting things."

Ponyboy laughed. "Yeah Two-Bit, school is just like that!" Then everyone laughed. It was too hot to walk all the way home so we cut over a block to the DX and made Steve give us all a ride home for dinner.


	13. Chapter thirteen

Chapter thirteen 

The first few weeks of school were busy for me. My classes were difficult and I had a pile of homework almost every night. Ponyboy was almost as busy as me, and Darry kept close attention to our schoolwork. Others in the gang didn't bother with their assignments because they were still enjoying the ceasing summer days. Not me though, I took school seriously and I wasn't going to let anything run my chances of a scholarship!

One Friday, late in September the weather had been chilly and rainy so when night fell and the drops still continued the gang gathered in the living room at my house. After hours of loud music the radio was turned down, the poker cards were put away and the boys started up a bull session talking about everything that mattered to them…cars, crimes and girls.

Casey and I sat up against the fireplace listening to the boys and laughing at their tales and lies. Darry was working and Ponyboy and Johnny sat at the dining room table, staying clear of being involved in any conversation other then their own. Soda and Steve were cuddling on the couch with their girlfriends while Dally and Two-Bit sat in mom and dad's chairs. This weekend was the last one of freedom for Dally for awhile. He was set to go to court on Monday and we all knew he would be headed to the slammer.

"Oh! I got one!" Two-Bit was still laughing from the wild story Soda had told. "Ok, how old were you when you lost your virginity and where were you?"

The room laughed together as Dally spoke up first. "I was fifteen and it was in your backyard!" Dally pointed at Sodapop and took a cool drag on his cigarette.

"No way!" Soda laughed, "with who?"

"Nah ah! Two-Bit didn't say we had to say with who!" Dally gave my brother a cocky stare as Steve interrupted.

"Fifteen huh? That sounds kind of old for you."

"What can I say, I was a late bloomer." Dally threw his hands out demanding an answer out of Steve. "How old were you?"

"Sixteen," Steve said, "and I aint saying where," and he gestured at Evie. It became quite obvious that it wasn't with her. I don't think she cared though because she piped up too.

"Well I was seventeen and I was no where near you when it happened." Then she poked Steve in the chest. "How 'bout you Sandy was Sodapop the lucky man?"

Sandy face grew flush. "I am gonna keep my mouth shut about it." The crowd booed and Sandy insisted, "it's none of yous business!"

Soda quickly spoke up with pride. "Well … I was sixteen, in my bedroom, and my parents were home!" Soda boasted and looked at his girlfriend with a cocky grin. "and I know your first time wasn't far from me!"

I noticed Evie and Sandy exchange a nervous glance behind Sodapop's back.

"Ohhhhh! You are so busted Sandy!" Two-Bit laughed as he chugged his beer and popped the top off a fresh one. "Sixteen seems to be a common age around here, but I have to join the ranks of ole Dally because I was fifteen." The crowd yelled out disagreements and Soda made a point in telling Two-Bit he was full of crap and still a virgin. "No … no, seriously I was sixteen and the woman was like forty or something!"

"Ewe gross!" Casey yelled out and made a crinkled up face.

"No way Caseycakes," Two-Bit leaned forward in his chair. "It was awesome! She was…um… ya'll remember Dick Paller's mom? It was her!"

Dally about choked on the beer he was trying to swallow. Through gags he managed to choke out. "You did it with Paller's mom? …. I did it with Paller's mom!" The room busted out laughing and I thought about the woman who used to live across the street. She was rarely dressed appropriately and her son Dick was in reformatory school more days than he was ever home. I figured she must have been awful lonely to do it with Dally and Two-Bit, at separate times of course.

"So how 'bout you country girl?" Two-Bit called out to Casey. "I bet you did it in the barn somewhere, didn't ya." Two-Bit pried and I think he was hoping for a juicy tale he could keep with him.

Casey proudly boasted with a drawl. "I was probably the youngest of ya'll! It was on my fifteenth birthday and in this guy's tree fort back home!"

"Nice!" Dally hissed with amusement. "Ya know I might be building a tree fort myself!" The group grumbled at Dally for his poor pick up line, which I am sure worked for Casey. She definitely loved boys. Dally cocked his head. "Fifteenth birthday, you probably take the prize for being the youngest."

"No she doesn't!" I said absent mindedly as I was lost in the fun of the conversation and thrilled it was one I could actually participate in. "I was fourteen." I smiled proud, because everyone else had their moment to be proud for their accomplishment, but I looked around the room and noticed I was the only one smiling. The room had fell deathly quiet.

I looked at the faces in the room that sat there with shock in their expressions and I felt like gulping hard till Casey yelled out! "Alright Scout! Who was it? Was it Danny from the rodeo?"

Before Casey could babble on Soda was off the couch and on his feet glaring down at me. "What the hell are you talking about Scout?"

His angry expression put me on the defense. "What? It's no big deal, you all have done it too!" I played dumb and continued to smile looking around the room for anyone else to back me up. That's what bull session are for, right?

"Please tell me you are lying … you better be lying!" Soda's face had lost all of it's humor. As I shook my head no as he yelled at me. "What the hell were you thinking?"

I stood up to challenge my brother and sassed back. "What? No one in the room had a problem with Two-Bit or Dally or even Casey losing their virginity young. Why are you jumping on my case?"

"Because you are only fourteen and you have a future, that's why!" Soda was yelling and frustrated. "You were going to grow up to be someone!" My mouth dropped at the comment as Sodapop continued to rant. "No one else in the room has the potential of making something out of themselves other than you and Ponyboy! What if you had gotten pregnant? What if you are pregnant? What would you do then? Huh? I can't believe you would be so stupid! I thought you were smarter than that Scout! Fourteen is too young!"

"Yeah I am young! I realize that, but what you don't realize is that everything in my life is ahead of me in age. My friends are all older than me, I am in classes with kids who are in their senior year in high school and I am going to mature at a different rate then you! I have too!"

"What the hell do you think mom and dad would say?" Sodapop asked the question as if my parents were still alive.

I fumed and rambled on in anger, "I'll tell you what! If they were here none of this would have happened. If they were here I could still be the quiet shy girl I always was. Now that they are gone everyone keeps telling me to grow up, to change and be someone different. So I did and all anyone wants now is for me to go back to being exactly who I wanted to be from the beginning. For some reason that shy little girl wasn't good enough for any of you!" I screamed and tears began to build up in my eyes as my throat tightened. I thought about all the preaching he and Two-Bit had been doing for me to lighten up and take risks. "Besides all I was doing was exactly what you and Two-Bit have been telling me to do." I mocked their voices. "Lighten up Sissy! Get crazy Sissy, take some risks!"

"We never said to throw yourself at a boy, never!" Tossing the reason for my behavior back onto Sodapop made him even angrier. In seconds he was so frustrated and angry that he couldn't stand to look at me any longer. "Go to your room!"

I placed my hands on my hips and laughed defiantly, tears streaming down my face. "Why should I? You're not the boss of me!"

Soda started to pace the way he does when he is frustrated and ready to lose control. "Because I said so and when Darry isn't around this house I am the boss of you!"

"Scout, just listen to him." Ponyboy irritated me by sticking up for Soda's irrational decision.

"Why?" I turned around to challenged Pony but Soda jumped in to the conversation before Pony could speak.

"Because if you don't I am going to tell Darry and then you will have to deal with him!"

I laughed off the threat and got snotty. "Who cares if you tell Darry?" I looked around the room and knew Darry wouldn't find out. "Doesn't matter if you do cause big mouth Two-Bit will blurt it out anyway!"

"Who you calling big mouth?" Two-Bit challenged.

I looked at him as he stood up to defend his reputation. That was the last straw for me. Getting into a rational conversation with Two-Bit and Sodapop was an improbability so I just yelled out in anger instead. "Why don't ya'll just go to hell?" I turned and stomped down the hall to my room. Outside my door I pulled off my socks and threw them into my room. Then I reached in from the hallway and slammed my bedroom door shut.

Quietly I tiptoed out the back door, where the rain has ceased, and sat on the damp back steps. I didn't know what I was going to do outside, all I knew was that I wasn't going to follow Soda's directions! No sir-re-bub! I took a few deep breaths to calm down and dried my eyes. I hated fighting with Sodapop. I rarely ever did, till mom and dad died.

About the time I calmed down I noticed Casey walking alone in the dark. I thought about calling to her, but I knew she would be loud and give me away. So from the cover of darkness I watched her walk into her house. When I knew she was safely inside I walked slowly through the long wet grass to the front of our house. The living room windows were open and I wanted to hear what the gang was talking about.

Just as I came to the front corner of the porch Sodapop came storming out of the house in his socks, with a lit cigarette in his hand. I didn't want him to see me so I pressed my body against the side of the porch. The first thought that crossed my mind, as he threw his arms over the top bar of the fence, was how he could stand to be outside getting his socks wet? I hadn't considered just how devastating the news had been to him.

I peeked around the corner at my brother who was staring at nothing particular. Before I could decide if I should talk to him or not Sandy came out on the front porch. "Soda… honey, come on back inside."

"No." Soda said defiantly and took a long drag on his cigarette.

Sandy came down the porch steps and slowly strolled across the grass to my brother's side. "It's really not that big of a deal."

"How can you say that?" Soda turned to look at her and I could see the disappointment and tears on his face. "It is a big deal. She should have waited until she was married. Now what is a classy guy going to think about her?" I realized Soda didn't ever see me ending up with a guy like himself, or anyone else in the gang.

Sandy pulled back a little in disgust. "Sodapop Patrick! I am someone's little sister too! Why is it ok for me to sleep with you but it's not ok for Scout to do the same thing?"

Soda looked directly at Sandy. "But it's not the same thing! I…it's different with me and you." Soda tossed his cigarette butt out into the street to free up his hands to hold Sandy's. "I… Sandy, I love you."

My eyes about popped out of my head when I heard him say those words to her. I think Sandy had a look of shock run across her face as she stood there speechless. Sodapop didn't notice her alarm and his grin was wide and sincere. "I've been in love with you for a long time. I should have said it sooner, but I … I just didn't."

Sandy finally spoke. "Wow Soda… I … I don't know what to say." Her smile grew to meet my brother's smile. "I love you too." The two of them shared a kiss and Sodapop held his girl close. I envied them.

Not wanting to get caught outside of my room I quietly tiptoed through the grass to the back porch. I silently walked in the backdoor and down the hall to my room where I found the door open an inch or two. I pushed it open further and found Ponyboy sitting inside.

"I thought you were grounded." Ponyboy was waiting on my bed with his elbows on his knees.

"Yeah, well I was getting some fresh air first." I was a little miffed at Pony for not sticking up for me. So miffed that I forgot all about Soda and Sandy proclaiming their love for each other in the front yard. I looked down at my brother. "What do you want?"

"Nothing," Ponyboy stood up and rested his hands on his hips. "I just came back here to make sure you were ok. You don't have to get snotty with me!"

"If you go away, I won't." I was snotty back even though I didn't mean to be.

My brother hitched his thumbs into his belt loops. "What is your problem Scout? You haven't been acting like yourself in a long time."

I blinked and thought about his words. If I was myself how could I not be acting like myself? I shook my head to clear my thoughts. "I'll tell you Pony! All I have been hearing since mom and dad died is how I should loosen up and have some fun. No one wants me to be myself anymore! No one except me." I sat down on my bed and slouched, staring at the floor.

"That's not true! I never told you to change!" Ponyboy sat back down on the bed and I joined him. "Johnny and I aint got no problem with you being you."

I hung my head in disappointment. "I know, but for some reason I didn't realize that." Tears began to form in my eyes as I thought again about my error in good judgment. "I mean, I like Casey and all, but she is wilder than I am and I just thought maybe that was who I should be. And Two-Bit is always telling me to get some kicks and do something wild." Ponyboy threw his arm around my shoulder and comforted me. "I don't know why I did it Pon ... I was just confused and lost." Pony didn't say anything, he just rubbed my arm so I babbled on. "You know what bothers me the most? It aint that Soda thinks I'm a tramp or that Darry is going to skin me. It's that I probably made mom and dad roll over in their graves. Ya know?"

I looked up at Ponyboy who was staring off in thought when he spoke quietly. "Yeah, I would imagine they did."

"I miss them so much Pony…." I cried a little harder. "I'm so lost without them."

"Yeah well you aint alone Scout." Ponyboy sniffled hard. "You aint alone."

Ponyboy sat there and held me until I was sleepy from all the tears. The whole time we sat in silence and all I could think about was what I had done. It was completely irreversible and completely regrettable. Only now did I understand the complexity of the situation and the grief and confusion of my brother Sodapop.


	14. Chapter fourteen

Chapter fourteen 

I woke up the next morning and walked out to the kitchen where Darry was mixing the batter for a chocolate cake. Upon seeing him I braced for my scolding. I waited to hear I was too young to sleep with a boy, I was ruining my life and embarrassing my family!

Darry's blue eyes looked my way. "Morning Sissy."

I panicked inside. What? No glare, no words of disappointment, no scolding?" I smiled back trying to read my brother and hide my guilt and shame. "Morning … uh, how was work last night?"

"Miserable! The rain slowed everything down and I had to stay late to get everything done."

"Late? How late?" I fidgeted and ran my finger along the edge of the sink, careful not to make eye contact with my brother.

"I got home at about midnight." Darry poured the batter into the two round cake pans.

I tried to act casual and dig for information. "Was Sodapop up when you got home? Were the boys all still here?"

Darry laughed. "Of course! Have you ever known him to go to bed early when he didn't have to work the next day?"

"Good point." I relaxed and realized the boys hadn't ratted me out to Darry, and I was thankful. Besides, I was already punishing myself in my own mind for my slip in good judgment. "Do you want me to help you make breakfast?"

"Yeah." Darry said and he handed me the carton of eggs to scramble. The two of us cooked up eggs, sausages and biscuits then headed down the hall to pull Soda and Pony out of bed.

Darry burst into the room and yelled. "Ok! Everybody up!"

My two sleepy brothers both groaned and cursed at Darry. Our oldest brother just laughed and walked to the foot of their bed and yanked the covers off. He grabbed each boy by an ankle and pulled his brothers out of bed and onto the floor, using his strong hands to tickle them.

Not wanting to be left out I pounced on Sodapop and got him good in his tickle spot right on the hip. He yelped with laughter and fought me off. In seconds the tables were turned and I was trapped on the floor begging for Darry's help and for Soda to let up. Even though Darry had Ponyboy pinned and full of laughter tears he let his prey loose to rescue me.

"I got ya Scout!" Darry reached down with his two strong arms and pulled me out of Soda's grasp. Before Soda and Pony could trap us in the room Darry ran out to the dining room, dragging me with him. When our brothers reached the kitchen Darry called an automatic truce and forced us all to sit down and eat breakfast before it got any colder. It was almost lunchtime and we were all hungry so no one argued. All through brunch I expected Sodapop to tell Darry what I had done, but he never said anything. In fact he never said a word to me, just looked over at me from time to time and I could see the pain in his eyes. I hated disappointing Sodapop.

Just as we were cleaning the dishes the gang began to trickle into the house for the day. First Steve and Two-Bit, then Dally and Johnny. Everyone was dressed to play football. Before we headed out Casey came strolling through the back door. She was excited to see I was awake and ready for the day. "Sis?" She yelled as she passed through the kitchen to the dining room.

"Hey there Case!" I greeted her with a grin. "Are you going to finally breakdown and play football with us today?"

"No and neither are you!" Casey grabbed my hand. "My mom got a bunch of nail polishes and new magazines from a woman she works with so the three of us are going to do pedicures and manicures! Let's go!"

I didn't argue because the girl stuff sounded like a lot of fun. From the living room the boys began to groan that they needed me on the team and it was tradition that we all play football together. I looked in their direction. "You guys don't need me! Besides Darry can be all time quarterback, it'll be more fair that way."

I stood in the kitchen doorway and watched the boys leave out the front door. It was the first game I had missed in years and I felt torn between wanting to grow into a young woman and staying part of the gang. Sodapop was unusually the last one out the door. He turned to stare at me. His look was filled with sadness as he realized I really wasn't coming with. I was growing up and changing.

Casey and I left the house out the back door and exited through the back gate. We crossed the street and climbed the porch steps to Casey's house. As we stepped in the front door Mary Lynn greeted us like we were customers in a real beauty salon. "Come in ladies! So nice to see you." Mary Lynn sauntered toward us. "Please take off your shoes and socks. I have a warm soaking bath waiting for you near the sofa."

I giggled at the silliness of Casey's mom, but enjoyed it. She reminded me of my dad, how he would always pretend and play characters in our home. Casey and I walked over to the sofa, sat down and soaked our feet in the warm water. Lined up on the coffee table were rows of pretty polish, jars of cotton balls, emery boards and all the necessary items for a nail salon.

A block away the boys divided into teams. Darry was all time quarterback and Ponyboy, Johnny and Dally filled one team with Steve, Soda and Two-Bit on the other. The two groups huddled in the middle of the field to discuss the first play of the game. The ground was soft and muddy from the night before as the boys lined up against each other.

After a long soak Mary Lynn dried our feet and stuffed plump cotton balls between our toes. I watched excitedly as Casey choose a bright red color and Mary Lynn painted each of her daughter's toenails. While I waited I looked through the small bottles and chose a shinny wine color. I knew it would look as good on my toes as it would on my fingernails.

Mary Lynn stood up to flip the Elvis album on the Hi Fi. When she returned she cleaned up my toenails and applied the color while I sat back on the couch and sifted through the pages of a fashion magazine. I lost myself in the moment and had fun pretending that I was actually in a beauty salon with my wealthy friend. It was just as I imagined the soc girls lives were.

Ponyboy laughed and reached his hand out to Sodapop who was lying in the mud from the tackle that Johnny had unexpectedly leveled him with. Together the boys were getting muddier with every step, catch and tackle. They played as if it were a championship high school game and the winner would hold the title forever.

Gently Mary Lynn cut, filed and shaped my fingernails. One by one she carefully painted each nail as Casey watched. The three of us girls talked about our favorite actors and fashion. We fantasized we were married to wealthy husbands and met weekly in ladies clubs and lunched at expensive restaurants. I told the ladies after my manicure I was headed to the travel agent to book a little get away to Alcapuco Mexico for my husband and I. Casey shot back that Alcapulco was over rated and we should try the vineyards of France for a relaxing get away. Her comment threw me from my acting for a moment as I teased her. "Casey … I'm impressed you even know about the vineyards in France."

Casey laughed, "shut up Scout, I'm not totally stupid!"

"I'm not saying your stupid, you just aren't that good at geography."

Mary Lynn looked up from her nail painting. "She's got you there Casey." Casey knew it too. She had a hard time with maps and didn't have a strong grasp on the locations of States, let alone countries.

"That's cool." Casey drawled. "I may not know my countries well, but I do know that having a friend like Scout is like having a walking encyclopedia, so I'll keep her close. Then I aint ever going to need to learn that unimportant stuff!"

Mary Lynn rolled her eyes in comical disbelief as the telephone rang. She crossed the room and answered it. One of her girlfriends from work was on the other line and the two would be talking awhile so Mary Lynn picked the rotary phone up from the little table it rested on. She talked and carried the phone with her, sitting it on the floor near the corner of couch. She picked up the bright red polish and began to paint her daughter's fingernails.

Darry stepped back from the line of scrimmage and scanned the field for the best target to throw to. Down field Steve ran from right to left and Darry launched the ball. It soared through the air and landed squarely in Steve's chest. He captured the ball with two hands and ran through the slippery mud to the end zone with Dally hot on his heels. As Steve came to a halt to spike the ball and declare his touchdown Dally pushed him to the ground. Tempers flared and the two of them got into a shouting match. Soon the sound of an older engine roared past them down the street. The noise drew everyone's attention as the old black car sped past, radio blaring and swerving side to side.

"Whoa!" Two-Bit giggled as the fight between Steve and Dally ceased. "Looks like that guy hit the bottle awfully early today!"

Mary Lynn hung up the receiver and had Casey and I step over to her nail drying station. To the left of the couch on the floor was a hair dryer set up on a towel. Casey and I walked over. I sat close to the wall with the end of the sofa to my back and Casey sat next to me. She had to pick the telephone up and move it a few inches away so she would have room to stick her fingers and toes under the sphere of the dryer.

Casey's mom began packing up the nail polish bottles and other items into a wooden box. Outside the three of us heard a car pull to a screeching halt, the radio blaring over the sound of Elvis on the HiFi. Casey's mom rose from her knees to peek out the window to see what all the commotion was. She leaned close to the front window just missing the chance to identify the man who stormed in through the front door nearly scaring the life out of the three of us.

"Mary Lynn!" A man dressed in black jeans and cowboy shirt screamed her name. I looked over in fear at the man wearing a black cowboy hat and a long black mustache. "You thought you could hide and that I'd never find you… well you was wrong!" The man's eyes widened as he glared at her.

"Duke…." Mary Lynn said in sheer horror. "How….. I…. We weren't exactly hiding…"

"The hell you weren't!" The man's scream bellowed through the living room and he continued to rant. I noticed Casey begin to shake with fear. Slowly she reached over and grabbed the receiver of the phone. I watched wide eyed as she carefully poked her finger into the "0" and pulled the dial around to the metal resting spot. The two of us held our breath as the phone clicked back the numbers as it spun around. I looked up at the divorced couple. Duke had a tight hold on Mary Lynn with his left hand and she was begging for him to just leave and not hurt anyone.

"I aint leavin!" He demanded. "I aint leaving unless you're comin with me."

"No! I can't Duke!" Mary Lynn began to cry and scream at her ex-husband. "You know why… you know what you did!"

"You're my wife." The man growled with a drunken accent and posture to match. "I done heard the preacher say till death do we part…. I don't reckon you heard differn't!"

I reached forward and grabbed Casey's hand. I was terrified. I didn't know this man. I only knew that he was Casey's father, violent and had little regard for the ones he loved, and to me that made him dangerous. I felt Casey's hand tremble twice as bad as mine as she lifted the telephone receiver to her ear and heard the operator respond to the call. I never took my eyes off the man. I prayed he wouldn't hear Casey speaking to the operator.

My friend spoke in a shaken whisper. "I … need the police….please," she begged and told the operator her street address. Casey peered up at her parents and jumped when her father pulled back his right fist and threw it forward into her mother's face. Casey let out a little cry. Witnessing the attack made me jump and I tucked myself into the corner made by the sofa and the wall.

I noticed Casey begin to cry as she whispered once again to the operator. "Please…. Help us…. I need the police."

I could hear the muffled speech of the operator on the other line asking questions like 'what was wrong' and 'who she was speaking to'. Casey didn't dare answer them for fear that her father would see she had placed the call. Mary Lynn screamed as loud as she could hoping for anyone to come to our rescue. Duke didn't take kindly to the yell and he began to hit her repeatedly with his fist.

As the gang broke into separate huddles Ponyboy's attention was diverted by a sound. "Hey did ya'll hear that?"

"What?" Dally asked.

"It sounded like a woman screaming." Ponyboy looked around the lot for any clues to what he had heard.

"Probably just Johnny's mom." Dally said, "now come on let's go." Ponyboy dropped his thought and returned to the huddle.

I peered over Casey's shoulder as she began to pull the telephone receiver from her ear. The movement caught her father's eye and he stopped to stare at his daughter. "What the hell are you doing?" He noticed the phone and jumped to a conclusion. "Ya called the cops didn't ya?"

Casey trembled and shook her head no, the receiver still cradled in her hand.

"Yes ya did! I see what ya did."

"Duke, just leave her alone." Mary Lynn's voice was weak as Duke continued to hold onto the woman even though she had fell to her knees in pain.

"Nah ah!" Duke Dobbins tilted his head back arrogantly and looked down his long nose at his only child. His speech was slow and threatening. "Nah…. I know what ya just did. You're gonna be sorry, aint no one in my family gonna treat me with disrespect." Then in one fluid motion Duke reached behind his back. When his hand returned he held a revolver. As if in slow motion I saw his thumb pull back the hammer and his finger pressed the trigger.

BANG!


	15. Chapter fifteen

**Chapter fifteen**

Casey's body jolted backwards from the impact of the bullet. The phone receiver fell to the floor bouncing as it landed. I closed my eyes fearing the worst and heard a second,

**BANG!**

I felt Casey's body impact against mine, forcing my eyes to open. She laid in my lap, bleeding and gasping for air. Momentarily I heard the echo of the operator's voice… "hello? Is everything ok?"

Then Mary Lynn let out a second scream in terror. Duke commanded her to shut up and when she didn't he began to batter her with the butt end of the revolver forcing a third shot to let loose into the ceiling, BANG!

The gang laid in a pile in the mud as the first shot went off. They looked at each other for a moment trying to decide if it was a car backfiring. The noise quickly repeated itself and the young men scrambled to their feet.

"Darry?" Ponyboy asked our brother for confirmation.

"Yeah," Darry stood tall as he prepared to protect the entire gang if need be. "Those were gunshots alright."

The air filled with a terrified scream. Ponyboy's ears perked up. "See that's what I heard before."

"Well let's not stand here," Steve toughened up. "Let's go check it out."

Another shot rang through the air and Darry reached out and grabbed Steve by the arm. "Slow down. Don't go rushing into anything you can't handle. Let's all go together, but watch yourselves…ya hear me?"

Ponyboy and Johnny exchanged worried glances and Two-Bit put a comforting hand on Johnny's shoulder. As they moved through the vacant lot towards Johnny's house everyone in the gang worried that Johnny's parents had come to their final fight. 

I reached down into my lap and held my bloody friend close to me. Her body trembled, worse than mine, as I feared for my own life. I held Casey close and watched as Duke beat Mary Lynn into unconsciousness removing her screams from the air. Without mercy he let her limp bloody body collapse to the floor. Eyeing me as a witness he took two drunken steps backwards.

I could feel he was trying to determine who I was and if I posed a threat. I looked up at him and tried to plead for my life but all I could produce were a few squeaky whispered words. "Please… don't kill me…"

From outside the house a strange man's voice filled the air. "Hey? What's going on in there?"

Duke stumbled over to the living room window to peer out and for a few seconds I couldn't see him and he couldn't see me. I heard an elderly lady's voice threaten to call the cops and Duke Dobbins stumbled back to the middle of the living room, his vision darting back and forth between the front door and the swinging door that lead to the kitchen. He was contemplating an escape route.

I kept my head low as Casey started to grab at my arms that were holding her and she kicked her feet in pain. One kick knocked the hair dryer to it's side and I became aware that it was still running and I noticed the phone receiver on the floor. The operator was still listening.

"You never heard anything, you never saw anything." Duke said as he stood in the middle of the room and looked down at me.

I tried to answer him through my intense fear. "Never … saw …."

"Damn straight you didn't." Duke smiled causing his mustache to lift. He raised his hand up revealing the gun. I couldn't take my stare from the darkness of the barrel. Duke pulled back the hammer on the gun. I closed my eye's tight, and shook. In the distance the sound of an approaching squad car caused Duke to curse out loud and flounder in his decision. I opened my eyes to see him pace nervously then he reeled around toward me and pointed the barrel of the gun in my direction,

**BANG!**

The sound of the shot directed the gang's attention away from Johnny's house and down the street towards Casey's house. Quickly Darry, Two-Bit and Dally took the lead forcing Soda, Steve, Pony and Johnny behind them. Together they stepped off the grass of the vacant lot and into the street. The sound of multiple squad cars approaching filled the air as the boys slowly moved as a group, careful not to walk into the crossfire of someone else's dispute.

I jumped and winced as the bullet whizzed past my ear and dug itself a hole in the plaster wall behind me. Silently I prayed in my head. I told the Lord I didn't want to die, I was sorry for my sins, especially the one that hurt my brother the most.

"Son of a bitch!" Duke yelled realizing he had missed me with his shot and the squad cars were now too close for comfort. He looked at the bloody scene in the room and backed up to the front door, raised the gun in haste one final time and let a shot off in my direction,

**BANG!**

I winced at the sound, but felt nothing. My body was filled with adrenaline caused by the flight or fight syndrome, but I did neither. Instead I watched as Duke bolted from the house.

The moment Duke was gone I looked down at my friend, her skin color pale, her eyes shut. I shook her and put my cheek close to her mouth. She was still breathing, slightly. My attention wandered to the woman who laid motionless only a few feet from me. "Mary Lynn?" I cried out loud. "Oh dear God please help us." Then I squeezed Casey's body tight against me and sobbed. I didn't know if Duke was returning and fear had crippled my ability to move.

The gang noticed police cars racing up the street towards them. From a block away Darry was the first to see the cowboy fleeing from Casey's house. My brother pointed the man out as he dove into the black car the boys had seen earlier and peeled away from the curb nearly missing the squad cars as they arrived outside the house. Darry's heart began to thump as he muttered. "Oh Lord…Scout!"

Hearing footsteps on the front porch I held my breath expecting Duke to return to the scene. Hoping to fool him I closed my eyes and rested my head back against the wall to play dead. The sound of the footsteps began to multiply and I opened one eye to find the living room quickly flooded with lawmen. "Hey Smitty! One man yelled. "We're gonna need those ambulances!" Then he fell to Mary Lynn's side and begged her to speak to him.

"We got two more over here!" A second officer yelled out and came to me. "Are you ok?" I shook my head yes because I couldn't speak. He reached down to feel for Casey's pulse. All I could do was watch and try to read his face for any sign that my friend would be all right. He made eye contact with me. "Did you see what happened?"

I blinked and tried to comprehend the stupidity of his question. I was sitting on the floor, holding my dying friend with a bullet hole in the wall two inches from my head and he wanted to know if I saw what happened?

"Do you know who did this?" He sternly asked again as he took Casey from my lap and laid her body on the floor.

I could barely speak. "Duke Dobbins….. her father." The officer had a look of disbelief fall across his face. He stood up and met a tall, calm man in the middle of the room who seemed to be taking notes about the scene. Suddenly the home became more crowded as paramedics raced into the house. Rapidly the room was filled with organized chaos. I stayed trapped in the corner, watching.

Darry and the boys ran to Casey's home, but were stopped by patrolmen. "Whoa. Where do you think you are going? You can't go in there."

"But our sister is in there." Soda yelled and tried to push past one of the officers. Darry and Ponyboy grabbed their brother's arm and pulled him back. Both of them knew they wouldn't find anything out if they didn't cooperate.

Darry stepped up to the young officer. "Sir, you gotta let me see if she is ok. We heard the gun shots an all…"

"I can't let you go in there." The officer stood his ground. "This whole area is going to be roped off as a crime scene, but I will need you to tell me what you heard or saw." The rookie reached for his notepad and pen.

An older, taller officer approached the crowd of young men as he roped off the scene. "Now ya'll are going to have to back up some." He tried to move Darry backwards.

"No sir, my little sister is in that house." Darry swallowed hard and showed little emotion in front of everyone. "We gotta know if she's alright."

The officer studied Darry's face as if he knew him from somewhere. "What's your sister's name?"

"Scout Marie Curtis." Darry answered and nervously rubbed his sweaty palms on his muddy jeans.

"Curtis?" The officer asked and pointed to our house. "The Curtis family that lives next door there." Now it was Darry's turn to wonder who the officer was. The older man noticed Darry's confusion. "I'm Officer Rosen…I was at your home to tell you about your parents this past winter." Darry shook his head 'yes' as he began to vaguely recognize the man. Officer Rosen looked up at the commotion inside Casey's house. "Are you the brother with custody?"

"Yes Sir."

"Ok, wait here and let me get some information for you." The officer finished roping off the scene and walked away, truly saddened by the thought of our family suffering another tragedy.

Darry didn't move an inch as the young officer began to ask the boys what they had heard and seen. The gang slowly crept up to Darry's side and answered the questions until the first stretcher left the house on it's way to the ambulance. Immediately the boys noticed Mary Lynn's body, still and bloody. Sodapop let out a yelp, fearing the worst. Ponyboy began to shake so Johnny threw his arm around him. They watched as the stretcher was shoved into the ambulance and the car pulled away, sirens screaming.

I had noticed Mary Lynn didn't respond as the paramedics wheeled her out the front door. I couldn't help convincing myself that she was dead. I didn't want to think about what life would be like for Casey without her mom. I knew how hard that was for a girl. As soon as there was room for a second stretcher the paramedics carefully pulled Casey's body from the floor. I watched as they placed Casey onto the gurney and rushed out the door. Her situation was urgent.

With the seriously wounded out of the way a young red headed paramedic came to my side. "Ok now it's your turn."

I looked into his green eyes. "My turn?"

"Yeah." He smiled softly. "You have a pretty bad cut here on your neck."

Surprised, I put my hand up to my neck and felt warm blood oozing out of the long gash that ran along the bottom of my skull. "I … I didn't even know."

"Don't you worry about it none, ok." The young man grabbed both of my shoulders for my attention. "The important thing is you are alright."

I thought about how lucky I was that the bullet had only grazed my neck. My head became filled with the realization that a half an inch closer and I would have been dead for sure. I thought about the other bullets and Casey. Was she going to be lucky too? "What about…" I swallowed hard trying not to cry. "my friend …" I couldn't say another word.

"Don't you worry, the docs at the hospital are going to do their best for them." The man's words were slightly comforting.

As Officer Rosen entered the house the boys noticed a second stretcher leave quickly out the front door. Two-Bit jogged along the rope line to the back of the ambulance. Casey was wheeled across the sidewalk and into the street. Two-Bit called out. "Casey? Casey?" She didn't answer, she didn't move. The rest of the boys crowded the back of the ambulance as the paramedics lifted Casey inside.

"Is she going to be ok?" Two-Bit grabbed the medic's arm. "What happened?"

The medic pulled loose, "I gotta get her to the hospital buddy, that's all I know." With out further explanation the man jumped into the back of the emergency wagon and pulled the door shut. In an instant the ambulance rolled away, sirens whaling.

Inside the red headed man finished wrapping the wound on my neck as a oddly familiar face knelt down in front of me. "Scout? I'm Officer Rosen."

I spoke softly. "I remember you."

The officer smiled, knowing that he and I had only met on unpleasant terms. "Your brother's are outside, they just wanted to know if you were alright."

My brothers, I hadn't even thought of them until that moment. Knowing they were there I now wanted only one thing, to go to them. I stood up on my shaky knees and tried to walk. My body was still shaking more than I had realized and my stomach began to cringe and cramp.

"Hold on there little lady." The paramedic smiled again. "I don't think you should be up and walking before the hospital doctors had time to check you out." I knew he was right, but I didn't want to wait to see my family. I yearned to be home where I figured I would be safe. I took a few more steps and stumbled to the floor.

"Hey, hey hey!" The quiet note taker from the middle of the room yelled out. "Where is she going?"

Officer Rosen looked over at the other officer. "Captain, her family is outside and she wants to let them know she is ok."

The quiet man was Captain Bradley and he furrowed his brow. "Rosen I got one eye witness three victims and a fugitive. I need to get the story from her while it's fresh in her head…" The man paused in his decision to point out a few key pieces of evidence to the photographer who had arrived on scene. "… I need to get a description of the man and to know what happened, she isn't going anywhere."

His harsh words made me feel as trapped as Duke's actions. I wanted out of the house. I wanted to be away from the images that were replaying in my mind and the smell of blood from the carpet. Hot tears filled my trembling body as I stood up and tried to steady myself. "I'll tell you what you need to know, but first I want to tell my brother's I'm ok."

Without knowing better the Captain snapped. "You aren't going out there to see your brothers. I'll send Officer Rosen to get your mom and dad, they can come and be with you."

A frown pulled my lips down as the words mom and dad pierced my heart. Before I could muster up any sort of response Officer Rosen stepped close. "Uh Sir… her parents were killed in an auto wreck months ago. Her brothers take care of her now."

Realizing his error the man cleared his throat, changed his tone and frowned back at me. "Listen, I don't mean to sound cruel, but if you go out there chances are you are going to forget a lot of important details that we need. The best time to talk to you is now."

"Captain, I don't mean to interrupt…" The red headed paramedic had a hold of my arm in case I should fall or faint. "She's got a really deep gash in her neck that is gonna need stitches, as soon as the next ambulance arrives she needs to go." The sound of approaching sirens filled the air and the captain and I knew we weren't going to get what we wanted.

The captain rubbed his forehead with the heel of his hand before speaking. "Officer Rosen, you ride with her in the ambulance and get her story. I'll call the station and have a sketch artist meet you in the ER. Tell the docs I don't want her released until I have a chance to check in with you. Understood?"

"Yeah," Rosen answered, "I got it."

A final gurney was wheeled through the front door and stopped in the entryway. The two new paramedics on the scene helped me to lay down and received a status report from the red head about my condition. The young paramedic wished me well and watched as I was rolled out the front door. The world looked funny from the angle of looking directly up and my stomach took a second uneasy turn. To keep from vomiting I pressed my eyes shut tight and felt as if I had a severe case of motion sickness.

Everyone in the gang watched the front door waiting for the next victim to come out. As the gurney was carried down the stairs each of the boys held their breath. Ponyboy looked up to Darry to determine if the scene was good news or bad news. Two-Bit muttered "Oh lordy" signaling to the boys that things did not look good.

The exasperation from Two-Bit pushed Sodapop over the edge and he acted on impulse. Without warning Sodapop darted under the rope and through the cars to be by my side. "Scout!" He yelled with a squeal in his voice as he noticed my blood soaked clothing. "Scout you gotta be alright." His journey to my side was cut short by an officer who was hell bent on holding him back.

I opened my eyes and was blinded by the early afternoon sunlight. I looked in the direction of the voice. "Soda?" My vision cleared and I noticed his caring eyes even on his fearful face. "So! I'm ok So." I reached out my hand as my brother pushed past the policeman.

Soda walked along side of me as the paramedics kept the gurney rolling. "Are you ok Sis? Are you hurt?"

"I'm ok Soda." I cried out through my tears.

Suddenly Darry and Ponyboy appeared over Soda's shoulder and by his side. Ponyboy begged for answers. "What's going on Soda? Is she shot? Scout did you get shot? Is she going to be ok?"

"I'm ok Pony…" I said weakly then my conversation with him was cut short when the paramedics loaded the gurney and me into the back of the ambulance. I tried to will my body to escape from the hearse looking vehicle, but I couldn't find the strength to move

Officer Rosen looked to Darry, "you can come with us." Without hesitation my oldest brother followed the policeman into the ambulance and yelled for Sodapop and Ponyboy to meet him at the hospital. The rear door slammed shut and the sirens began to scream for a third and final time.


	16. Chapter sixteen

**Chapter Sixteen**

Ponyboy and Sodapop ran across the street and scampered over the chain link fence that surrounded our yard. Ponyboy, being the fastest, was the first one through the back door and past my bedroom. Suddenly he stopped and did an about face turn. The change in direction caused a collision with Sodapop and both boys flew backwards onto the hallway floor.

Sodapop had no idea what Pony was doing so he snapped. "Where the hell are you going Ponyboy?" The rest of the gang came to a stop in the hall behind Soda. Steve reached down and pulled his friend from the floor.

Ponyboy pulled himself up and rubbed the pain in his head caused by the collision. "Don't you think we outta bring Scout some clean clothes?" Ponyboy walked into my room.

"Good point!" Soda slapped Pony on the back as he walked into my room, "I'll get Darry's keys and meet you in the truck."

Soda, Steve, Two-Bit and Dallas finished the journey down the hall while Johnny stepped in to the bedroom to offer assistance. "Need any help Pony?"

"Yeah," Pony said as he rapidly dug through my dresser drawers. "Why don't you grab her some shoes from the closet." In less than a minute the two had gathered undergarments, a t-shirt, shorts and my black loafers. They ran down the hall and out the front door where Sodapop had the truck running and Steve's car was waiting behind it.

Johnny and Ponyboy jumped into the cab of the truck. Soda was in such a hurry he didn't wait for Johnny to shut the truck door before he hit the gas, squealed the tires and sped off to the emergency room.

Inside the ambulance the sound of the sirens worsened the ever growing pain in my head. As the adrenaline in my body began to fade away I could feel the throbbing pain in my neck and every one of my muscles ached due to my trembling, which continued.

Officer Rosen sat near my shoulder and Darry sat at the back of the ambulance. I couldn't see him very well through my tears, but I knew he was there because I could feel his strong hand wrapped around my ankle.

Officer Rosen pulled out his note pad. "Scout? I am going to need a description of what Mr. Dobbins looks like. Can you do that for me?"

I thought about the man and stammered. "Long black mus… mustache … dark eyes. He was wearing a bla… black cowboy hat."

"Was he tall or short?"

I looked up at the officer. "Tall?" I really wasn't sure of the correct answer. "Taller … than Mary Lynn."

Officer Rosen could sense my stress. "Your doing good! How about his weight?"

"Thin …. strong." I added and became more anxious as we got closer to the hospital. I was afraid of going there, afraid of being separated from Darry and afraid I wouldn't ever see my friend alive again.

"I need you to tell me why Mr. Dobbins came into the house." The officer continued with the questioning.

I sniffled and tried to spit out a complete sentence. "I don't know… he was … we ….. we were just sitting there and …. he … he….." I reached up and wiped my eyes.

"It's ok Scout," The officer cued me. "Just take your time. Why was he there?"

I breathed in a shaky breath. "He just … just… showed up."

"Was Ms. Dobbins expecting him?"

I shook my head no and thought about how thirsty I was feeling. I looked up at the headliner in the ambulance and could see the entire incident running through my head like a movie I couldn't stop. Even though the images were in my head I couldn't seem to speak about it.

Darry rubbed my leg a little and looked over at the medic who sat next to him at my hip, hurriedly removing the nail polish from my fingers and toes. "She sure does feel cold." The medic flashed a look of concern back to Darry, but didn't share his thoughts

"Scout?" Officer Rosen spoke for my attention. "Did Mr. Dobbins shoot Mary Lynn?"

I shook my head no. I really did prefer the yes no questions. They didn't cloud my mind as much as the recollection questions. "Did Mr. Dobbins shoot his daughter Casey?" I recalled the moment in my mind. I heard the shot go off, my body flinched and jumped about an inch off the stretcher.

"You ok Scout?" Darry called out concerned. He leaned forward to look me over. Images of Casey bleeding flashed through my mind and I didn't answer my brother or the officer. I squeezed my hands together thinking I was holding onto my friend, wishing I could stop the blood from oozing out of the wounds.

The ambulance pulled to a stop underneath the emergency room canopy. Outside the car the hospital staff pulled the rear door open and pulled the gurney out. Darry, the medic and Officer Rosen followed behind into the hospital. The paramedic prepped the staff about my condition while a nurse stopped my brother.

"Sir you can't go in there." She held tightly to his arm and tugged a little in the direction of the nurse's station. "Do you know the patient?"

Darry watched helplessly as the medical staff wheeled me into a trauma room. Once I was out of view Darry realized that he had been asked a question. "Pardon me?"

"Do you know the patient?"

"Yes Mam', she's my sister."

The nurse smiled pleasantly and had Darry come to the nurse's station so she could write down my personal information.

As I laid in the trauma room the unwanted images in my head grew stronger while reality drifted in and out. The bright lights blurred my vision through my tears and trembling. My hearing was one of my only available senses.

A female voice spoke. "….her breathing is shallow, and she complained of nausea before arriving."

There were a few more hazy reports before a loud commanding male entered my senses. "… she's going into shock! Let's get her up … warm blankets..." Then I heard nothing more as my mind went blank for a length of time unknown to me.

Darry worked on completing the medical forms for me as the nurse asked questions. "Sir, would you like to use the phone to call your parents?"

Darry looked over at the lady dressed in her bright white uniform. "No," he cleared his throat. "They are both dead."

The woman face frowned as she thought about what to say next. "Is there a relative we should be contacting that your sister lives with… perhaps and aunt or a grandmother?"

Darry's blue eyes turned a little icy as he thought about how so many people didn't believe he was capable of raising his little sister. "No, I am her guardian."

"Oh." The nurse simply said and handed him two additional forms to complete. When Darry was through the nurse asked him to go to the ER waiting room. My brother walked down the corridor to the waiting area and was quickly mobbed by Ponyboy and Sodapop. "Darry? Is she alright, what did the doctors say?" The boys watched their brother as he took in a heavy breath.

"I don't know anything. They just took down some information and told me they would send the doctor out when he was ready."

Sodapop looked defeated. He wasn't interested in sitting and waiting, so he began to pace instead. Darry stayed standing against the wall with Dally while the other boys sat down in the chairs. While the minutes past Ponyboy chewed nervously on his fingernails. From time to time he wished he could just cry, but he knew better to do so in front of the gang.

When I opened my eyes again I heard the woman standing next to me asking if I could feel anything in my neck. I just stared at her, pupils slightly dilated. I didn't answer because the room began to sway and the colors seemed to turn to vapors and drift around in my head. Then in the mist a black haired doctor looked down at me. "Scout we are going to give you something to help you calm down and relax."

I remember closing my eyes. When I opened them again my vision seemed clearer and I could see the doctor sitting by my side. He noticed me silently watching him and smiled. "Well you know the good thing about this scar?" I stared blankly at the man as he spoke. "It's going to be hidden in your hairline. That will be nice, won't it?" A second nurse stepped into my view and smiled down at me.

"Scout?" She had a pleasant voice. "Your brothers are here waiting for you. Doctor Furlong will go out and talk to them as soon as he finishes with you." I shook my head slightly and my eyes fell heavy again.

The wait had grown long and everyone had retired to a chair. Between them they had smoked every last cigarette they had. Dallas was collecting money to go the cigarette machine to purchase more when a doctor came into the room.

"Family for Mary Lynn?" The blond doctor looked around the room while the boys all looked at each other. Suddenly Two-Bit cleared this thought and stood up.

"I'm family… uh… Mary Lynn is my cousin." Two-Bit walked over to the doctor and stared at him with his honest looking green eyes.

"Perhaps we should step out into the hall?" The doctor suggested making everyone worry a bit more.

"No," Two-Bit looked around him at the boys in the room. "It's ok, we are all really close." Then Two-Bit shoved his hands into his muddy pants pockets and waited for the report.

"Well the good news is Mary Lynn is going to be just fine. She has some cuts, bruises, and a major head concussion. We are going to keep her here for a few days for observation and then she can go home." A tiny smile of relief formed at the corner of Two-Bit's lips as the doctor continued. "When she does go home she is going to need someone there with her for a few days."

Two-Bit shook his head in agreement as if he was really family. "How'bout Casey?"

The doctor's face frowned a little. "Well she has been shot, twice and she went into surgery about thirty minutes ago, we'll no more when she comes out." The doctor patted Two-Bit on the shoulder and returned to the emergency room. Two-Bit looked to the ground unhappy about the uncertain news.

Another hour past before a second doctor came to speak with my brothers. "Family for Scout?" Without hesitation the three boys jumped to their feet.

The black haired doctor smiled and invited the boys to sit back down in their seats. Then the doc pulled a chair over for himself. "I want you to know Scout is doing just fine and she isn't going to need to stay here tonight." Wide smiles filled Pony and Soda's faces as they heard the news. Darry remained focused and wanted to know more as the doctor explained the situation. "She has some stitches on her neck where a bullet apparently grazed her skin, but that is going to heal nicely. Now…. when she arrived here she had gone into shock due to the trauma of the situation. This is our biggest concern at the moment so we are going to let her rest a little longer before we let you go and see her."

Darry shook his head to agree with the decision.

"As you may know the police are going to need to question her and they have the right too." The doctor sat back in his chair and stuffed his hands into the pockets of his white lab coat. "Now I really don't think she needs to be talking to them right away, it's just too soon, but …." The doctor gave my brothers an empathic look. "They really do need to get a lot of information in order to capture the who did this ."

"Yes sir." Darry let him know he would be sure to comply.

The doc stood up and finished his directions. "When she goes home I want you to keep a close eye on her. If she is drinking too much, her skin gets pale and cold, anything like that I want you to wrap her in some warm blankets and get her back here right away, ok?"

The boys all agreed to watch out for their little sister. Ponyboy handed the doctor the pile of clothes he had been clutching to. The doctor told them he would be sure I got my clothes and the nurse would be back to give them further directions for my care and to let them know when they could visit.

As I woke again the torturing images had left my head and I noticed I wasn't shaking any longer. My stomach had calmed and my muscles felt strong. I looked over at the corner of the room and noticed Officer Rosen talking with the police captain. Instantly I realized they weren't going to forget about me and I would have to tell them.

"Hi there!" The pleasant sounding nurse was back again. "Your brother's are still waiting on you so if you are ready to get dressed I'll go and get them for you."

I looked at my clean clothes piled in her arm. "Where did you get my clothes from?"

She smiled. "Your family brought them for you. Why don't you sit up and I'll help you get dressed." Without waiting for an answer she pushed the officers out of the room and pulled the privacy curtain shut.

After I was dressed I laid on the clean sheet, alone in the room. I looked around, frightened by the unknown then I heard the sound of feet outside the room. When the nurse pulled the curtain back Sodapop and Ponyboy darted to my side. Both of them smiled and wrapped their arms around me. I could feel stress and tension leave my body as they told me how relieved they were that I was alive.

Before Darry could say hello the police captain called him out to the hall for a long chat.


	17. Chapter seventeen

**Chapter Seventeen**

Night had fallen when Darry and I climbed into the cab of the truck on our way home from the police station. Despite doctors urging me to go home and rest the police insisted they needed to meet with me. Everyone agreed it was in the family's best interest to cooperate.

Darry and I didn't speak on the ride home, but occasionally he would reach over and rub the side of my arm with the back of his hand. I appreciated him letting me know he was there for me even though he couldn't find the words to say it. At the station the police officers hadn't let my brother be present while I recounted the tragic minutes. On more than one occasion I couldn't help but fall to pieces. The whole ordeal was emotionally and physically draining for me.

When we pulled up outside the house Sodapop and Ponyboy ran out to greet me. When Darry and I had left the hospital both of them were angry that they couldn't come to the police station. Soda pulled my truck door open. "Hey Sissy." He said softly. "How'd it go?"

The strong Oklahoma winds blew my hair around and I shrugged my shoulders. Darry walked around the front of the truck. "Did Two-Bit find out how Casey is doing?"

Soda threw his arms around me. "Not really. She made it through surgery ok, but they told him to go home because they wouldn't know anymore until the morning." Soda pulled me close to him with one arm and kissed the side of my head. "We better get you inside and out of this cold air." I could tell he was hogging me from being with Ponyboy because my twin was standing next to us with his hands jammed in his pockets and anxiously rocking back and forth. Soda didn't care though.

As we started to walk inside Ponyboy saw a free spot on my left hand side and he moved close, threw his arm around me and we all walked in together. We sat down on the couch and Ponyboy looked up at Darry. "Did they catch the guy yet?"

"No," Darry said, "but they are going to have his description in the paper tomorrow and they have said it on the radio so they are hoping to find him soon."

Ponyboy looked in my direction and noticed me staring at my shoes He could sense my fear over the man still being free. Pony knew deep down how scared I really was. He looked at me and curled his lip a little. "Don't worry none Scout. We aint gonna let nothing happen to you." I tried to believe him, but the fact is the world is a big place and you never know when or where trouble will find you. I had learned that first hand, on more than one occasion.

Darry collapsed into Dad's chair as Soda looked over at me with a nervous glance. "Sissy? I know you…" Sodapop licked his lips. "I just have been wondering…"

I understood they had a need to know what I had been through so I interrupted him. "Casey and I were sitting on the floor drying our nails when we heard a car pull up outside…" When I had finished the recount of events my brothers asked a few questions and told me about hearing the shots and thinking it was Johnny's parents.

Sodapop then took the time to mother me. "Well the docs said you needed your rest and you aint had none since we left the hospital so let's get you off to bed." Then he pulled me off the couch. "I'll rub your back tonight and stay with you till you fall asleep. How's that sound?"

I thought about sleep, I really hoped I could. "Sure, that sounds fine So." We walked to my room and I noticed the time on my clock. It was nearly eleven thirty as I climbed into bed.

Sodapop sat by my side and whispered. "Scout I learned something today."

I yawned. "What's that Soda?"

"That I shouldn't have been mad at you for what you did with that boy." I thought about Danny and then the fight that Sodapop and I had gotten into only 24 hours earlier. Sodapop rambled on. "If something would have happened to you… I just… I may have never had the chance to say I'm sorry for yelling at you." Soda leaned close to my ear and whispered. "I am you know… sorry that is."

"It's ok Soda, I'm sorry too."

Sodapop hugged me and told me he would sleep in the other bed that night if I wanted him too. I thought about Ponyboy and the nightmares he might have if Soda wasn't there with him. No one needed to deal with that tonight. "No Soda, I'll be fine." Soda accepted my decision and rubbed my back until he was sleepy himself.

A while later he whispered. "Sissy? Sissy you sleeping?" I wasn't but I didn't want my brother to stay awake any longer so I didn't say a word. Soda left the room and I heard him climb into bed where Ponyboy was already sleeping.

I laid in bed and stared into the hallway that was illuminated by the kitchen light. I listened to Darry pitter-pattering around in his bare feet. A few minutes later the hallway went dark as Darry headed off to bed.

The darkness took away my sight and my hearing was drawn to the wind outside. The rustling of leaves, the window panes knocking back and forth in their frames. My mind wandered to the doors of our house, unlocked. I tried to shake the idea from my head that Duke would return to the neighborhood to find me. I tried to convince myself to just close my eyes and drift off into sleep where everything would be fine, but I couldn't.

The night was cool and I wiggled under my covers to hide from the unknown. I looked over at the rattling windows. Then I heard a noise I recognized, the front door. I listened for Johnny or Dallas or Steve to kick off their shoes and plop down onto the couch or onto the spare bed, nothing.

The wind continued to whip around as I heard heavy footsteps in the house. The steps made a clicking sound, just like cowboy boots. I stared at my open bedroom door and wished the sound away. It didn't go. The noise moved its way through the kitchen and down the hall.

I didn't dare speak for fear that he would find me, for fear that he would kill me. My eyes grew large as I peeked out from under my sheet. I wanted to yell for help, but figured it would do no good. As the moonlight from my bedroom windows illuminated the doorway I held my breath.

In a moment the figure of my fears appeared. His hat still on, his gun in his hand. I saw the barrel, black and deadly, as he raised it up one last time.

No no no! I thought. I sat up straight in my bed and coward to the corner. I opened my mouth to scream, but found myself speechless. I heard the gun cock and dove to the floor.

As my body hit the wooden planks I looked up into the doorway and saw nothing. I began to tremble and realized I had been sleeping and Duke hadn't been there at all. I turned and looked at the time on my clock, one fifteen. I crawled back in bed, but could no longer rest. I spent minutes thinking what if Duke did come looking for me?

After a dozen minutes I had scared myself so bad with my own torturous thoughts that I couldn't stand to be alone in my room any longer. I grabbed my pillow and quilt and decided to sleep with Pony and Soda. I shuffled my bare feet across the wooden floor and tried to climb into bed with my brothers, but there was no room for a third person in the double bed.

I needed to find someplace safer. I walked down the hall dragging my quilt behind me. I eyed the spare bed outside of Darry's bedroom as the wind shook the windows again and made me jump. I stood in my old bedroom and eyed the unlocked front door. I knew I could never lock out the gang and the bedroom was now to exposed to the rest of the house for my own comfort.

I needed to sleep, I needed to feel safe. Quietly I turned around and put my hand on the door knob to Darry's room. What would he say if I slept in his room? Would he be mad? Would he send me back to my own room?

Without a sound I turned the knob, stepped into the room and shut the door. I looked at Darry through the darkness. He looked exactly like my dad and in a selfish moment I wish he had been. I wished I could trade Darry to God for just one of my parents. Guilt then consumed me as I walked around to the opposite side of Darry's bed and plopped down onto the hard wood floor with my pillow and quilt. I wrapped up in my blanket and scooted under the bed as far as I could. As I laid there, half hidden, I prayed again to God to forgive me for my thoughts and to protect my brothers. In the safety of Darry's bedroom I closed my eyes and much needed sleep consumed me.

Hours later Darry finally couldn't resist waking up as the late morning sun shone into his room. He rolled over to the edge of his bed away from the door and lowered a foot to the ground.

"What the?" He called out as he felt something lumpy on the floor. Darry pulled his foot back up and leaned over the edge of his bed. Noticing my quilt he reached down and gave my sleeping body a shake. "Scout? Scout what are you doing in here?"

I looked up at my brother, his usually neat hair now tussled. "I was scared."

"Scared of what?" Darry slightly barked then his facial expression showed that for the second when he spoke he had forgotten all about the incident. "Oh." He answered his own question. "Don't be scared Sissy. He aint coming back around here."

I sat up. "Darry we don't know that. He said he didn't want me to tell, and when the paper comes out today…he's gonna know I told." I stared at Darry with my big blue eyes.

Darry didn't know what to say. After not being there when I was jumped by the socs and not being able to do anything about the shooting Darry knew he wasn't able to make the promises I needed to hear. Out of frustration he threw his head back into his pillows where I couldn't see him. Then a knock came at the front door. My brother jumped to his feet, threw on his jeans and headed out to the living room, his muscles defensive.

I slinked my way across the bed then out to the doorway of my old room. I watched as the front door was pushed open and a young lady called out softly. "Hello? Is anybody…."

Darry and Kathryn met face to face and I could see the tension melt away from Darry's demeanor. "Kathryn! What are you doing here?" Darry hugged her and she looked past him to the vacant living and dining room.

"I read in the paper about Scout." Kathryn was dressed in a pink tweed skirt and a soft pink sweater to match. Her face was flush and full of concern. "Darry, is she alright?"

I stepped out into the dining room and forced a smile. "Yeah I'm fine."

"Oh you poor thing!" Kathryn ran over and hugged me harder than I think she hugged my brother. "I read about it in the paper. It must have been horrible! I just had to stop by to see you were ok." She caressed my hair and noticed the bandage around my neck. "I want you to know that my father wants to help you in anyway he can."

"We already talked to the cops." Darry said as he walked to his room to get a clean shirt to put on in front of company.

Kathryn let go of me and trailed behind my brother. "Well she should still talk to him. His office will probably be handling this case anyway." Darry said something I couldn't hear and Kathryn answered back. The couple then walked out of the room together as a car horn sounded outside. Kathryn looked at Darry. "I can't stay, my social club is meeting to put together the fall dance and then I need to return to school for the week." Kathryn frowned at first then looked coyly at my brother and sighed a fake heavy sigh. "You know I am planning this dance and no one has asked me to go."

Darry laughed a little. "I doubt that! I bet you just haven't been accepting anyone's invitations."

Kathryn huffed a little. "Well there is still one invitation I haven't received yet! I'm holding out." The young woman looked deep into Darry's eyes but he didn't extend any sort of invitation she may have been waiting for. "My mother sent some things over for your family. I'll go and get them from the car." Kathryn trotted out the door and down the steps.

I grinned over at Darry. "Why don't you ask her to that dance?"

"Cause it's expensive that's why!" Darry shot back as he looked out the window to find out what Kathryn was bringing in. "Besides I've told both of you, I am just too busy to have a girl to worry about." Then Darry looked back at me and I knew how much of a burden my latest incident would be on him. I also knew how everyone expected him to be perfect and always have the right answers. That alone created a stress no one else in the house could fully comprehend.

Kathryn burst in the door with a large paper bag full of homemade bread, jams and a case of Pepsi. "I remembered Ponyboy loved Pepsi." Kathryn smiled and handed a folded newspaper to Darry. I think she wanted him to preview it before I had a chance to see it. The young lady walked over to me and delicately grabbed my chin. "You let me or my family know if you need anything, understand?"

"I will." I said even though I knew I would never have the courage to ask her father for anything.

Kathryn and Darry exchanged a quick kiss and she sighed that she wished she could stay and help out. The car horn honked again signaling her carload of impatient friends were ready to move on to better things then sitting out front of our small and simple home.

Once she was gone I reached for the newspaper, but Darry held it over his head. "Nah uh Scout, I don't think it's such a good idea."

"Come on Darry I'll be fine!"

"Fine? Like sleeping on my floor fine?" Darry tried to be funny and serious at the same time.

I rolled my eyes and followed Darry to Dad's chair. I didn't think I could feel any worse by reading the article so I read over Darry's shoulder. As he unfolded the newspaper I noticed a hand drawn picture of Duke on the front page. "That's him." I muttered. Together we read the article and noticed that Casey's condition was not mentioned. I looked over at my brother. "I can go and see her today, right."

"Sure Sissy." Darry closed up the paper. "I'll take you there this morning if you want to get ready." I didn't waste anytime getting dressed and ready to go.

I walked alone down the hospital hallway to the door of Casey's room. Slowly I pushed it open to find my once jubilant friend lying there pale and still. A lump formed in my throat and my heart began to pound as I walked up to the side of her bed. I stammered. "Case … Casey?"

Immediately her eyes popped open and a weak smile formed across her face. She could only muster a weak whisper. "Scout, I'm glad you came."

I couldn't hold back my tears of joy to hear her speak my name. To me it was a miracle that she was still alive. "Casey are you going to be ok?"

Casey smiled again and whispered. "Yeah, the docs say I'll be fine in a few weeks."

"I can't wait for you to come home." I smiled and tried to make her laugh. "The neighborhood has been awfully quiet without you."

She did laugh a little. "My mom was able to visit me this morning. My grandparents want us to go back to New Mexico. Mom's moving back right away," the news saddened me as I listened to her struggle with the words, "she doesn't want to be alone anymore."

"But … what about you." I frowned and my tears of joy began to mix with my feelings of sorrow.

"There gonna move me to New Mexico in an ambulance at the end of the week."

I sniffled and wiped my eyes. "Casey I don't want you to go. You're my best friend."

Casey's dry lips cracked a smile. "I'll always be your best friend Scout. I'll just be a few more blocks away."

I laughed on purpose just to make her feel good. Truth was, inside I felt like she was gone forever and life would never be like it was before. I was losing my friend and was going to be alone again. I hated feeling alone.


	18. Chapter eighteen

**Chapter Eighteen **

Darry and I returned home from the hospital just after dinnertime. As we walked up the front steps Darry commented he was starving, but I didn't feel like eating a thing. Inside we found the whole gang waiting on us, even the girls.

Two-Bit walked over to me, his round eyes filled with concern. "So how is Casey doing?"

I answered him as I stood by the front door and kicked off my shoes. "She's alive, and the doctors say she will be fine in a week or two."

"Good." Two-Bit remarked with a serious look on his face, "It'll be good to have her back in the neighborhood."

I looked over at him and frowned. "She isn't coming back."

Sodapop threw his hands on his hips and joined into the conversation. "Well how come?"

I looked over at Darry, he knew all the information I knew, but he was going to let me tell it. I took in a deep breath in hopes that I wouldn't get more depressed than I already was. "Her grandparents are coming to get her and Mary Lynn, their gonna move back to New Mexico." I sighed, "Mary Lynn doesn't want to live alone anymore."

Two-Bit stuck his hands into his pockets. "Can't says I blame her." Then he looked over at me and I could tell in his gray eyes that he was concerned about me too. I could see he was wondering if I was going to feel safe all alone, but he never spoke his mind.

"Come on ya'll!" Ponyboy yelled to draw everyone to the dinner table. "We've been keeping dinner warm while we was waiting for ya." With that the boys grabbed their plates and helpings of spaghetti. I wasn't hungry, so I went to sit out on the front porch to get some fresh air.

As the screen door slammed shut I could hear the guys inside talking and laughing. I thought for a few minutes what it would have been like for them tonight if I was in the hospital or worse. I sat down on the edge of the porch and rested my feet on the concrete steps trying to shake away my prior thoughts. I let the cool breeze hit my face and looked down the street into the darkness. A strange noise caught my attention and I felt a heightened sense of fear begin to creep into my body. Then the wind made a funny whistle and a car door slammed shut where I couldn't see it. Immediately Duke's face filled my mind and I jumped to my feet and ran back into the house.

"What's the matter Sissy?" Steve asked and stood up from the couch to look out the door to intervene in any trouble.

It was only then that I realized how I had bolted through the door, pale as a ghost. "Nothing… I … I just spooked myself is all." I said and walked away from the front door and shut the blinds on the front window.

Steve held his plate as he stood by the front door a few minutes longer. Then a car pulling up caught his eye. "Hey ya'll the fuzz is here." He looked around the room to notice any guilty faces and to try to determine who was in trouble.

I sat down on the couch as Darry walked with authority to the door and stepped out onto the front porch to greet the officers. Sodapop followed behind and sat on the arm of the couch by the front door to listen to the conversation. After just a few seconds Soda turned to me with a big grin. "They got him Sissy! Duke's in jail!"

I couldn't help but smile back. I was so relieved to hear the news that I wished I could run back to the hospital and tell Casey. I wanted to talk to Mary Lynn and tell her she could stay and everything would be all right. The other boys in the house cheered quietly at the news as the front door swung open and Darry invited the police officers in.

Both of the lawmen removed their hats and greeted the household, Dally sat at the dining room table and hid his eyes with his hand. He obviously was familiar with one of the officers. Darry looked over at me and rubbed his hands on his jeans. The tell tale sign that Darry was nervous worried me and I braced for bad news as one of the officers walked over and sat next to me on the couch.

"Scout, I'm Officer Corey. I heard a lot about how brave you were yesterday." He smiled and patronized me first, which I read as being not a good sign. "I know you have been through a lot but I am going to need you to do one more thing for us tonight." I stared at him and listened. "We're pretty sure we have Mr. Dobbins in custody, but to make it official we are going to need you to come down to the station and pick him out of a police line up."

My eyes grew large and my heart rate began to increase. The second officer noticed the worry and he tried to rationalize the situation for me. "Scout you are the only witness we have who can point him out tonight. If you don't, we're gonna have to let him go free." The officer looked down at me with a small pout on his face.

I looked at the officer sitting next to me. "He won't be able to know it's me, will he?"

"No darling, he won't." The officer reassured me. "He'll be about twenty feet from you and we got these bright lights that we shine in their face, then they can't see anything."

I looked around the room at Darry, Sodapop and Ponyboy. "Can my brother's go with me?"

The two officers exchanged glances. They knew their job was to get me to the station to do the line up at any cost. Officer Corey made the decision. "Sure they can go to the station with you, but probably not into the line up room. That is just for the witness."

I took in a shaky breath and dreaded the thought of leaving the house and going to the police station again. I looked up at Darry. He looked exhausted and had gone through almost as much as I had. I thought how he wouldn't get a chance to finish his dinner or relax at home before the workweek if I went to the station. For a moment I considered not going, but I hated the thought of Duke being free.

Sodapop sensed my hesitation. "Scout I'll take you down. That way Darry can finish his supper." Soda looked to Darry for permission to be in charge.

"I'll go with you too." Ponyboy called out and the two officers exchanged looks again as if to say, 'I bet she can't say no now.'

I shook my head and looked at the officer to my side. "Ok, I'll do it. Do I need to ride down with you two?"

"No darling," The standing officer replied. "You should just head down to the station now. We'll let them know you are on your way."

Soda, Pony and I headed to the police station only minutes after the officers had left the house. I had to remind Sodapop not to speed. I surely would be embarrassed if he got a speeding ticket on his way to the police station.

In the lobby we were greeted by Officer Robert Shuller. He was a tall, over weight man whose only job was to coordinate the lineups. "Hello Miss Curtis, thank you for coming down so soon." I shook his hand as he greeted both of my brothers. "And you two are?"

Soda stepped forward. "We are her brothers, I'm Sodapop and this is Ponyboy."

The officer tried to suppressed a smirk at the sound of the boys names. "Well then, why don't you come on back with me." The officer pulled gently at my arm, but my legs failed to move.

I grabbed Soda's hand and started to feel sick about seeing Duke one more time. "Sir, would it be ok if my brother's came with me? See I don't have any parents and…"

Officer Shuller held out his had to have me stop my explanation. "That will be fine. Why don't you all come along with me?"

We went into the observation room and the procedure was explained to us. I was given a spot to stand and told that I must verbally identify the man I recognized as Duke Dobbins. When the line up came in Ponyboy and Sodapop were to stay quiet and against the back wall. I didn't care much for that idea because I wanted my brothers closer, but those were the rules.

When I was ready the ultra bright lights were switched on and I waited for the line up of men to come in and face me. One by one the men walked along the far wall. I nervously rubbed my hands together and began to wonder if I would even recognize Duke. The men against the wall had similar characteristics to the man who had shot my friend. What if I fingered the wrong one?

As the final man walked in I recognized the swagger and his profile brought my memory back to the moment when he looked around the living room for an escape route. I grabbed the officer's arm for his attention and whispered. "That's him."

"Hold on Scout, you have to wait till we have them face forward before making your selection." Seeing the man filled me with fear and I didn't let go of officer Shuller's arm. The officer began the formality of the line up. He bellowed, "face forward!"

As Duke turned around I thought for a moment he was staring at me, I felt like he would lunge toward me and there was nothing anyone could do to stop him. I studied his face and hid behind the officer and whispered. "That's him, number twelve."

Shuller yelled out. "Step forward number twelve!"

As Duke took a step forward I panicked and ran to the back wall into the perceived safety of Soda and Ponyboy's arms.

The officers in the room noted the fear and Officer Shuller ordered number twelve back in line then walked back to speak calmly to me. "Do you recognize number twelve to be Duke Dobbins."

I stammered. "Yes… yes sir… I do."

The policeman turned and ordered number twelve back in line and the men returned to another room. "Well done Scout." The officer praised me. "You were very brave and you can rest safely tonight knowing that Mr. Duke Dobbins will be in jail for a mighty long time."

Every possible minute of the following week I spent with Casey. My routine was going to school, afterwards I would have Two-Bit or Steve drop me off at the hospital then I would arrive home late in the evening after dinnertime and stay up late finishing my homework. With Duke behind bars I felt safe enough to fall asleep in my own bed. It wasn't until I entered the dark unconscious world of sleep that fear returned and many mornings I found myself asleep on the floor beside Darry's bed.

On Saturday I returned to Casey's home for the first time since the incident. Her grandparents had come to pack up the Dobbin's belongs and Mary Lynn had asked my family if we would help out.

I walked in to the living room and could still smell the blood that ran from my friends wounds. The sight of the scene overwhelmed me at first and I had to sit out on the front porch to gain my composure. Ponyboy took the time to sit with me as I gathered the courage to help and pack up my friend's life. I wasn't alone, everyone in the gang skipped the football game to help out. As I sat with Pony's arm around me I couldn't believe Casey wasn't coming back. I had to agree with Two-Bit on one thing, I couldn't blame Mary Lynn and Casey for wanting to be with family that loved them. I felt the same way.

One bittersweet solace I had was that I would see both mother and child again. After his arrest Duke Dobbins pleaded not guilty forcing the case to court. The police told Darry I would be subpoenaed to testify in front of a jury of Duke's peers before he would be sent away for good. I thought about Duke and wondered if Dally would ever end up like him, bitter and controlling. Dally was back in jail for accessory to robbery. We wouldn't be seeing him for weeks.

On Sunday everyone went to the hospital to bid farewell to Caseycakes. I went inside her room a few minutes before everyone else. "Hey Casey!" I said in a fake cheerful voice. "We got everything packed up and ready for you." I wasn't ready for the response she gave me.

"I don't want to go!" Casey looked over at me and hot tears began to stream down her face. "I've been thinking about it the last few days and I don't see why we have to leave if Dad is in jail."

Seeing her cry only made me show my true emotions and cry along with her. I knew the gang would be walking in at any moment so I tried to comfort her. "Casey it won't be that bad. You and your mom should be closer to your family."

"You're my family!" Casey called out and pulled me into an emotional hug.

I sniffed in my feelings. "I know … you are my best friend. I don't want to see you go, but …" I couldn't think of a "but". I agreed with Casey that her and her mother would be safe as long as Duke was behind bars. Sadly it wasn't our decision and we would just have to live with it. "Casey, I'll see you again." The two of us just hugged and cried like two girlfriends who were moving away to college after spending their whole lives together.

"Hey Casey." Sodapop said softly to interrupt us. "We all just wanted to come and say goodbye." I held her hand as Soda, Darry, Pony, Johnny Steve and Two-Bit bid her farewell, told her to take good care of herself and remember to breath when she spoke. The last one was Two-Bit's comment. I loved his ability to make anyone laugh at anytime.

The seven of us stayed at the hospital until the transporting ambulance pulled away from the drive and Casey rode off into the sunset. I though of how appropriate that was for a cowgirl from New Mexico.

On the way home I didn't cry. I tried to convince myself that she was better off and I would be fine. Life would turn around for me and things were sure to get better as the autumn days arrived. At school my grades were A's and I didn't care if the socs near my locker harassed me or called me names. I knew someday those names wouldn't apply to me just like they never applied to Casey.

At home life was still tense. The looming trial brought a lot of unwanted attention from the State. Darry and Ponyboy were back to bickering and arguing about little things like picking wet towels up from the bathroom floor and who was going to put the milk away after dinner. Sodapop tried to be the glue and keep everything at a calm, but I knew sooner or later he would crack too. Me, I just stayed out of everyone's way and stayed inside where I felt safe and comfortable. I didn't want to admit it, but I missed Casey more than I had imagined and I was constantly sad without her. So sad that I didn't even want to go to a movie with Ponyboy one Friday afternoon, and I rarely missed an opportunity to go to the movie house, just Pony and I.

_End of Escalation_

_This storylinecontinues with the next edition: Landslide_

_I would like to dedicate this edition of the story to my good friend who passed away today. Blu was a wonderful dog with a big heart and a happy tail for my family everyday! God Bless you girl and enjoy your greener pastures in heaven. I'll see you when I get there! Love Erin._

**Commentary and Deleted Scenes**

_First off I was trying to think of whether I should continue my story under the title of Escalation or begin again. I decided that with the length of the deleted scenes I would wrap this story up and begin again under a new title. Yep for those of you worried I was done… I'm not._

_Beginning this story was the hardest beginning I have ever had to work on. In fact you will read that in the two deleted scenes. I thought and thought for the opening scene that would lead to Scout getting jumped. (I had that scene written into the last story, Coming of Age, but the timing wasn't right so I held back.) I felt for the beginning of this story I needed to build the tension so I chose the 'greaser' calls after school as an introduction. For me this turned out to be a good introduction chapter then I was off and running with the rest._

_Escalation happens right before the book so I knew I needed to add elements that are part of The Outsiders. The biggest one being the tension between the social classes. A few other facts I felt the need to put into Escalation were Johnny getting jumped and Dally getting jailed. Plus whether I liked it or not I had to start to write Ponyboy in a way that he and Darry aren't getting along, at least from Pony's point of view. This is the reason for the scene in Scout's room after she is jumped and the report card scene. I want the reader to feel Pony's distrust of his oldest brother and the best way for this to happen is to have him try and convince Scout of the same thing. This also gives Scout that extra bit of confusion in her life_

_Casey is my new character who is the sunshine in Scout's life. She is Scout's "Two-Bit" with a little touch of "Dally". Her new friend is fun and reckless and taught Scout first hand to be the same. The difficulty with Casey is that I didn't want her around when the book parallel began, so she had to leave. I knew there would be a tragedy to separate her and Scout. After many walks on the treadmill I realized the abusive father idea fit my writing needs. It was what is called a story arc. I set Duke's characteristics of being rough and violent in the rodeo chapters and then brought him to life many chapters later, hence the arc. Hence also my need for Danny, but we will discuss that shortly._

_Casey being gone is serving a purpose as well. If she were still around when Ponyboy ran away Scout would have someone to confide in. I have always seen Scout as horribly "lost" without her twin so the friend had to go. I did like Casey and wouldn't be opposed to bringing her back many months from now as one reviewer suggested. Plus I don't have plans now, but if Duke goes to trial Casey and Scout will reunite._

_Danny Percell was written in there for building Casey's history and for the readers who like a little love story with their drama. I think of it as Scout's introduction to the fact that the world is bigger than her neighborhood. The love scene was put in to "imperfect" Scout just a little and make her blend better with the gang. For a brief moment it was her "skeleton in the closet", her only problem was she opened the door. I know a few readers were disappointed with Scout's decision and they didn't like it being written in. That actually was nice to read that emotion from the readers because I knew they would then be able to relate well to Soda's disappointment in what happened._

_The Ottavi family remains a symbol of status the Curtis family does not have. I don't have a clear vision as to what will happen with these characters, but I wanted to keep them alive and in the readers mind. The future has not written itself yet for how involved Kathryn and the Ottavi's will be in the Curtis' lives, for the better or the worst._

_I have added a "signature" to my stories – a nightmare scene. With Ponyboy and Scout being twins it just seems natural she would have nightmares too. So in the Scout series I will be sure to include a nightmare scene. Now, on to the deleted scenes. Then on to starting the next installment. Stay tuned and thanks for reading and reviewing! Your reviews keep my mind and fingers busy creating the next chapter._

_**DELETED SCENE# 1** – shopping scene with Socs. This was the first scene I wrote for the beginning. I was attempting to show Scout being exposed to the soc's world. I was also hoping to expand Kathryn's roll in the story and build her character, but I have not decided if she and Darry will become more serious or not. The plot was flat and didn't seem to go anywhere so I cut it._

_I skipped over to answer it. "Hello? Oh hi! How are you doing?" I looked over at Two-Bit and could see he was trying to figure out who was on the phone. "Oh wow! I would love too! Thank you. Ok I'll see you out front of the school." I hung up the phone and noticed Darry smiling from the kitchen doorway. I looked at him slyly. "You knew she was going to ask me didn't you."_

_"Yeah, I just thought she should be the one to ask you."_

_I was so excited and I looked down at the jeans and t-shirt I was wearing. "I gotta change!" I ran to my room and looked for the best clothes I had. I pulled out a short sleeve sweater and a skirt. Kicked off my tennis shoes, slipped on my loafers and was to the breakfast table just in time to get a spoonful of eggs and a few pieces of toast. "Steve I won't be needing a ride home after school."_

_"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Two-Bit called out, looked over at me and cocked an eyebrow. "You're all dressed up, smiling and don't need a ride home tonight. You don't have another boyfriend do you?"_

_"Nah Two-Bit." Darry and I exchanged cheerful glances. "That was Kathryn on the phone. She's got a few friends and every year they get together with their little sisters and go shopping together on the last day of school. Kathryn wants me to be her little sister!" Now it was Darry's turn to try to cock an eyebrow at me. He knew I was reading too much into the little sister thing._

_Before I left for school Darry called me into his room and handed me a fist full of dollars. "It's not much, but it's all I can afford. I want you to buy yourself something nice with it."_

_I looked down and counted the money. "Darry I can't take this! There is ten dollars here."_

_Darry looked at the money and knew how much he needed it for other things. He also knew how important it was for me to meet new girls and to see the other side of the tracks. He wanted me to want to be just like Kathryn, to go to college and create a decent life for myself. "Don't worry about it. I'm picking up a few extra hours this week."_

_I sighed and looked up at Darry. I understood how important it was to him that I took the money. I folded the dollars and hugged my brother._

_After school I almost ran to the front of the school to meet Kathryn and her friends. I ran down the stone stairs and scanned the crowds of people who were estatic to be free for the next three months. A few seconds later I found Kathryn and four other girls waiting by the side of a large black cadilac. Their simple dresses were more beautiful than anything I had ever owned. Quietly I walked to join them._

_"Scout!" Kathryn smiled and gave me a hug. "You look nice. Are you ready to shop?" I smiled softly and shook my head yes as she introduced me to the others. "This is my friend Laura and her sister Peggy and my friend Jennifer and her sister Lisa." I smiled and greeted everyone and we piled into the car._

_We headed to a side of town I didn't remember ever being. There was a quaint street filled with boutique shops and designer clothes. Kathryn parked the car and we walked into a small café for what Laura exclaimed was a "late lunch". As the six of us sat at a table I looked over the menu. All of the items were much more expensive than any of the dinners at the Dingo or Rusty's._

_"So what are you having Scout?" Kathryn leaned into my personal space and I noticed the sweet scent of her perfume._

_"Well, I think just a soda, I'm not really hungry." I lied as my stomach rumbled and gave me away. Kathryn shot a look at me and knew I couldn't afford the restaurant. She winked at me and told me to pick anything on the menu because she was paying._

_"Scout?" Laura asked as she tossed her long brunette hair back over her shoulder. "If you don't mind me asking, why did your mama name you Scout?"_

_I smiled back at her. "Well actually my dad named me. My mom named my first brother Darrel, after my father. Dad didn't think it was very creative so he convinced my mother to let him name the rest of the children." I looked around at the table as everyone was listening attentively. "He named me Scout after the book character from to kill a mocking bird. My two older brothers are named Sodapop and Ponyboy."_

_The girls giggled at the silliness of the names and Jennifer asked. "Why in the world would did your dad name your brothers Sodapop and Ponyboy?"_

_I shrugged my shoulders. "Well sodapop was my dad's favorite drink and he never really had a reason for Ponyboy, he just liked the sound of it." The laughter continued and I started to feel self conscious. I wasn't sure if they were laughing with me or at me._

_"Scout," Lisa called to get my attention. "Did you have a good first year of high school?"_

_"Acutally …." I stopped and thought about my answer. Part of me wanted to just say yes, but I knew Kathryn would eventually let everyone know the truth. "I just finished up the first semester of my Sophmore year." I paused to give everyone a moment to be amazed. "My brother Ponyboy and I are pretty smart."_

_The conversation traveled into many different areas. I talked with the younger sisters about the classes I was taking and the older girls chatted about college, finishing school and boys. Kathryn's friend Laura was planning to get married in a few weeks. Lisa just graduated from high school and Peggy was a junior. In time I became more comfortable with the situation and slowly felt as if I fit in then we went shopping._

_In the first three or four stores I saw loads of beautiful clothes. The prices in the shops were very high and I could have only gotten one skirt or one shirt. I just didn't want to spend Darry's hard earned money on something the family didn't need. The other girls saw life differently. Their father's had given them fistfuls of cash to by new summer clothes, summer hats and bikini swimsuits to wear by the side of the country club pool. I watched as they tried on clothes and either curled their noses or shrieked with delight and encouraged each other to buy an item. It was at that point I knew I wanted this life. I wanted to be able to take my children to fancy boutiques for clothes and to expensive restaurants and be able to afford to leave half of the meal on my plate. Darry sure knew what he was doing when he let me go with Kathryn._

_I think she had a plan too. "Scout. You haven't tried on one single outfit all afternoon."_

_I smiled a little out of embarrassment but didn't say anything. Kathryn grabbed a yellow sundress off the rack. "Go try this one on." I looked at her and wanted to say no but she pushed again. "Go on and try it on!"_

_I went into the dressing room with the beautiful dress. It was plain and simple, but pretty. I slid the dress on over my not so white undergarments and could feel the cool silkyness of the dress's inner lining. I stepped out of the dressing room and looked in the mirror. This was the kind of dress my mom always wished she could buy for me but could never afford._

_Kathryn's voice broke through my thoughts. "That is beautiful on you, but you are going to need these shoes to go with it." My brother's friend handed me a pair of white shoes and I slipped them on to complete the look. "Perfect! She'll take it!"_

_My heart jumped and I didn't know how to tell the girls that I didn't have enough money for the outfit._

_Kathryn called out to the saleslady who each of the girls knew by name. "Janet! She'll take this and she's wearing it out of here."_

_I climbed off the little platform in front of the mirrors and ran to Kathryn's side and whispered. "Kathryn, I can't buy this…. I don't have enough money."_

_Kathryn looked at me calmly and smiled in a wealthy way. "Don't worry love, it's my treat. In fact the whole rest of the day is my treat to you."_

_I stood there shocked as the sales lady removed the tags from my dress and Kathryn picked out a sweater jacket to match so I wouldn't be cold in the evening. Her generosity continued into the next few stores where she bought me a two pairs of summer shorts with shirts to match. I climbed into the car feeling like a million dollars._

_"Alright girls!" Kathryn yelled out a little wilder than I would have thought she yelled. "Let's head back to my house for a little nightcap and a surprise for you Scout!" The other girls giggled knowing what the surprise was. I didn't have much time to wonder what it could be. My mind was busy soaking up the view of the elegant homes that lined the streets._

_As we reached Kathryn's house she pulled up the driveway and we stepped out of the car. END SCENE _

_DELETED SCENE # 2 - This scene came right after the last day of school. I liked it alittle, but wasn't satisfied so I let it sit. Later I was able to revise it and fit it into the story. _

_By nightfall Soda had delivered on his promise to throw a big party. The house was full of people, most of them I knew. It was also full of smoke and noise from the radio blaring and everyone trying to talk louder than the music. When Darry left to go see Kathryn I tip toed back to my room. I figured no one would miss me much, but if Soda or Two-Bit saw me leaving they would have pulled me back out into the fun for sure._

_I sat on my bed and looked at the boxes of unpacked stuff in the corner. Some of it was mine and some was my mom's stuff that I still had to sort through. I sighed heavily and tried to read a book, but the music was too loud. I tried to be like Pony and draw a picture, but only ended up with piles of crumpled paper launched into the corner near the waste basket. So after a long time of avoidance I decided to begin the chore. An hour later I had half of it boxed up again to get rid of and the rest of it put away. Sitting on my bed was the last piece, my mom's jewelry box. I sat down and lifted the lid. Mom didn't have anything expensive in there, but at lot of it was pretty and I wanted to keep some of it. I sorted everything into piles on my quilt._

_From the hall I heard the jingling of glass bottles knocking into each other. I looked up and saw Soda move past the door with a wooden case full of empty bottles he was taking to the back porch. I watched the doorway and a few seconds later Soda appeared again._

_"Whacha doin' Sissy?" He asked and he came into the room and sat on the edge of his bed._

_I looked at the jewelry box and the pile of earrings I had made. "I was just sorting through mom's jewelry and I was trying to decide what to do with the earrings."_

_Soda flashed me a crooked grin. "Just wear'em!"_

_"Duh So!" I grabbed my ear lob and pushed it forward with my thumb. "My ears aren't pierced!"_

_"Oh." With one simple response Sodapop stood up and abruptly left the room. Before I could figure out what I had said and why he left my brother was back, grabbed the pile of earrings and my hand._

_"Come on Sissy!" Soda pulled me off the bed and down the hall. "Where does mom keep the needles?"_

_"In the drawer in the kitchen, why?" I asked but Soda just told me to hold on and I would see. "What's going on?"_

_We walked into the kitchen and Soda retrieved mom's sewing box. I wandered into the dining room and noticed Evie and Sandy digging through the bathroom looking for something. I walked over to help. "What are you looking for?"_

_"Rubbing alcohol?" Sandy asked and I pointed to the wall cabinet._

_"Why do ya'll need rubbing alcohol?"_

_Evie looked over at me like I was dumb. "We gotta sterilize the needle before we use it to pierce your ears."_

_"Pierce my ears?" I asked and grabbed my ear lobes. So that was what Soda went to do. He recruited the girls to pierce my ears so I could keep mom's earrings! I didn't know whether to thank him for his thoughtfulness or panic and run._

_"Scout this is going to be so much fun!" Sandy bubbled and skipped out of the bathroom with the rubbing alcohol._

_I smiled nervously, "Well wait… will it hurt?"_

_Evie joined in the conversation and pulled out a dining room chair for me to sit on. "No, well yeah it will, but it's just for a minute."_

_I grimaced at the thought of having a needle shoved through my ear lobe. "On second thought, maybe Darry will get mad." I tried to use my brother as a scapegoat._

_"Come on Sissy!" Sodapop drawled. "Darry aint gonna care, you're just chicken is all." Then he and Steve laughed at me. I'm not sure why, but I hate it when those two laugh at me together._

_"I never said I wasn't gonna do it!" I defended my fear, sat down in the chair and pushed my hair behind my ears. "I just don't want to get in trouble for it is all."_

_"Soda baby!" Sandy called to her boyfriend. "We're gonna need some ice too. Oh, and a wet wash cloth." Soda obediently went to fetch the items as the gang sort of crowded around to watch. I looked around and noticed Ponyboy and Two-Bit watching with big grins on their faces._

_"What are you all grinning about?" I asked them as my nervousness rose. I tried to hide it to look tuff, but I was starting to rub my hands together which was a tell tale sign that I was scared._

_Two-Bit's smiled stretched from ear to ear. "We just aint seen anyone have a needle stuck through their ear and we wanted a front row seat to see it!"_

_"Yeah, and I want to be able to see if you pass out or something." Pony added obnoxiously as he puffed on his cancer stick._

_I drawled back my response. I tended to do that too when I'm nervous and trying to look tuff. "Well ya'll better go find somethin' else to do because it aint gonna hurt and I'm not passin' out."_

_"Ok are you ready?" Sandy asked. "I'm gonna put some ice on the ear and then Evie is going to push the needle through so don't squirm."_

_I sat up straight and took a deep breath. I made sure to look straight ahead and concentrate on something. I felt the freezing cold ice cube on my ear and then Sandy pulled it off and dried the earlobe. I heard Evie count, one, two, three. I rush of pain made me jump out of the chair a little and I stamped my feet on the floor to try and distract my brain from the pain._

_In my ear I heard Soda yelp out, "whoa look at that bleed!"_

_Then Sandy scolded Evie, "You were suppose to push the needle all the way through."_

_"I tried but I just wasn't holding the needle tight enough!" Evie defended herself. "Sodapop give me that rag so it doesn't drip blood on her shirt."_

_I looked over at Ponyboy who had a surprised yet concerned look on his face. Two-Bit was near by trying so hard not to bust out laughing that his eyes were tearing up. "What happened?" I asked as I took the ice and put it to my ear to try and cease the throbbing pain._

_Evie looked over at me with a frown. "I screwed up and didn't push the needle all the way through."_

_I could tell from the look on her face that she was sincere in her apology and I made an effort not to get mad. I picked up the hand mirror and pulled the bloody ice cube off my ear. I looked at the lobe dripping with blood and heard Pony tease. "Oh this is the part where she's gonna pass out."_

_I looked over at him and noticed Johnny peeking over my brother's shoulder. "I told you I aint gonna pass out!" I meant it. It was time for me to step up and finish the job. I looked in front of me and had Sandy hold the mirror for me. I took the wet washcloth from Soda and cleaned the blood from my ear. "Evie would you please clean the needle off and give it to me."_

_Steve leaned over from the part of the table he was sitting on. "What are you going to do, pierce it yourself?"_

_I looked up at him assuredly. "Yeah, if I am going to have a hole in my ear it better be able to hold an earring." I took the clean needle and wiped my ear lobe one more time so I could see what I was doing. Then I lined the needle up and pushed it all the way through. It hurt, but it was one of those pains that don't hurt as much because you do it to yourself. I pushed the needle all the way through my ear to be sure the hole was complete._

_"Oh that was gross!" Johnny said._

_"Just one of the things broads do to look good for us." Two-Bit said and patted Johnnycakes on the shoulder._

_Dally had been watching from behind Steve. "That was pretty tough Scout. I aint never seen a girl shove a needle though her own ear before."_

_I smiled because being called tough by Dally was a nice compliment. I wiped the ear a second time and Sandy cleaned it with rubbing alcohol again. Then we slipped in one of the simple gold earrings from my mom's jewelry box. I tried to see in the mirror how it looked but the blood was still bubbling out from the hole. I pinched my sore ear lobe with the washcloth and waited for the bleeding to stop. "Sandy why don't you do the next one for me."_

_"I don't know that I could do any better then Evie." Sandy looked at me apprehensively. "I've never pierced and ear before."_

_"Give me the needle, I'll do it." Dally said as he gently pushed Sandy aside and clenched his cigarette with his teeth. I looked at him in his blue jean jacket and white t-shirt. I pondered whether I trusted Dallas Winston to push a piece of steel through my flesh. Then a thought crossed my mind that with a rep like his he has probably stabbed at least one person before. Dallas sat down on the chair directly in front of me. "Just push it through right?"_

_Evie took his cigarette and handed the needle to him. "No not just through, the hole needs to be even with the other one so her ears don't look crooked."_

_I looked at Ponyboy's eyes to ask him if he thought I was crazy to let anyone in this gang try to pierce my other ear. Pony kind of read my mind and shrugged his shoulders up to let me know that he wasn't sure if it was a good idea or not. I looked back at Dallas who had the needle in his hand and was waiting for Sandy to use the ballpoint pen to mark the spot on my ear where the hole should go._

_I pulled the washcloth away from my ear. "Has it stopped bleeding So?"_

_Soda leaned forward from where he was sitting on the table. "Yeah, I think it has."_

_I held the washcloth in my fingers as Sandy put the ice cube on my second earlobe to numb it. I looked at Dallas who struck my earlobe with the needle like a cobra snake. In an instant he pushed the needle halfway through and then pulled it out the back of my ear. I cringed at the initial pain. Sandy pushed the earring through the hole and without a drop of blood the ordeal was over and my ears were pierced._

_Darry never got mad about my ears being pierced. He even said they looked really nice._

_END SCENE _

_**DELETEDSCENE #2**– trying out for cheerleading. This scene was meant to develop Scout's character into a more confident girl. The thought process was that she would make the squad and then struggle with whether she should live at that social level. As a cheerleader she would have contact with Cherry too. Again I was thinking of strengthening the relationship between Scout and Kathryn. I chose to axe this chapter because it was too soon for Scout to rise to the level of soc. I also worried that if Scout made the squad she would make too many new friends, and that wouldn't work well as we paralleled with the book. (obviously the book elements greatly affected the content of Escalation.)_

_The first day of school I was up dressed and ready to go before anyone else. I sat on the couch with my nap sack filled with new notebooks, pens and pencils, and watched as my brothers slowly moved through the house to prepare for their days. I must have looked out the window two dozen times waiting for Steve's car to pull to the curb. When it finally did I couldn't keep myself grounded to the couch any longer._

_Steve and Two-Bit strolled through the front door. "Hey Scout you look nice!" Two-Bit greeted me. I thought about my blouse and shirt. I was happy to have hand me downs from Kathryn and Casey that made me look more like a soc then an greaser._

_Steve looked over at me, his eyes moving over my appearance. "I bet you woke up before the sun came up!"_

_"NO!" I rolled my eyes in humor. "The sun was up… barely." I laughed along with the gang as Casey came in through the back door. Fifteen minutes later chaos broke out in the living room as all seven of us headed out the front door, five of us to school and two to work. The short journey through the sun to the car was almost spiritual for me. I was excited to walk into school proud of my intelligence, my appearance and filled with a new sense of self._

_Together Casey and I strolled the halls before the bell ring. Outside the activities office we checked the list of clubs and sport groups set to begin._

_"Here it is." I said quietly._

_"Here what is?" Casey leaned over to see what had caught my eye. Her jet black hair was pulled back in a perfect ponytail and she smelled sweet like candy. It was the same scent that Kathryn had worn in the diner the first time I met her. The smell took me back to a day I had stuffed into the back corner of my memory, my parents funeral. I remembered the rectangular holes dug into the cold ground. The two ornamental boxes suspended above the darkness. The scene in my head caused me to shiver and Casey's voice called me back to the present. "Scout what did you find?"_

_I looked up at the flyer. "Cheerleading tryouts are next week."_

_"Cheerleading? You never told me you wanted to do cheerleading." Casey stepped back and looked down at me._

_"My guidance counselor says I need to join a club or something." I wrote the tryout information on the back sheet in my notebook. "I'd rather be a cheerleader then captain of the chess club!"_

_"Cool choice girl!" Casey smiled and rolled her eyes at the chess club idea. I watched her reaction and felt a little guilty because I still thought being in the chess club would be fun._

_It was hard to focus on homework during the first week of school. Everyone still wanted to lay around in the sun and hang out at the drive in. I couldn't though, my classes were harder then ever and the homework was piled on. Everyday after school Casey and I would do what ever we wanted till dinner time. After that I had to commit myself to the books. I wasn't always alone. Often Ponyboy and I worked together and sometimes Casey and Steve would work with us. Even Johnny tried to do his work, even though it was frustrating for him. He just didn't understand the world through words and numbers._

_That weekend I spent my free moments in the yard perfecting tumbling skills. Darry worked with me too. He would stand in the grass and critique and critizes me. Ponyboy was annoyed by the toughness. I understood Darry was just helping me to reach deep inside myself for the best, the way his coaches and dad had done for him._

_I attempted a no handed cartwheel, slipped and landed on my back at my coach's feet. "Darry?" I looked up at him. "Do you think I stand a chance at making one of the squads."_

_Darry beamed with confidence. "I know you do. I've been to plenty of football games. Most cheerleaders are just pretty bimbos with no talent." Darry squatted down in front of me. "But not you. You've got something special you can bring to the squad. You're gonna knock their bobby socks off!"_

_Darry was right! Of the eighteen girls who tried out, Casey included, I was amongst the few who had any gymnastic ability. Together Casey and I sat on the bleachers and watched the cheerleading coach and older cheerleaders digging through the score sheets. Occasionally a small group of them would look up and point into the crowd. I looked over at Casey who seemed relaxed. Not me! I was nervous. Not the type of nervous where I worried I wouldn't be good enough. These nerves told me I wished I hadn't even tried out. I started to dread the thought of learning new things and meeting new people. I began to sweat just thinking about it when I heard one of the current cheerleaders call out my name. _

_"Curtis? Scout Curtis could you come down here for a moment?"_

_I looked over at Casey and then stood up from the crowd and walked to the group of girls waiting for me. I could feel the eyes of the crowd follow me as my footsteps reverberated on the wooden bleacher steps. I hurried to the scorers table and was met by a lovely girl with flowing red hair and the most perfect smile I had ever seen._

_"Scout?"_

_"Yes mam'." I answered causing the red head to grin and her friends to giggle._

_"We think you may have made an error on your sheet." The cheerleader pointed to my grade and birth date. "It says you are in your Sophomore year, but you are only fourteen."_

_I smiled with pride and a touch of arrogance. "Yes, that's correct."_

_The girls looked at each other, "if she's only fourteen does she qualify to be on the junior varsity team?"_

_A second girl added. "Rules are you can't be a freshman, doesn't say anything about age."_

_The redheaded girl looked back at me and smiled. "Thanks Scout, we will let you know."_

_When I returned to the bleachers I told Casey what they wanted and she bubbled like a mixture of baking soda and vinegar. She was sure I had made the squad, she didn't know which one, but she was sure I was in._

_Minutes later the coach called out the new members. "I would like to thank everyone for trying out. As you know this year we have limited spots to fill with new comers so I will begin by announcing the varsity winners." The coach read off four names, none of which were familiar to me. My friend and I noticed the winners were all of higher social class then either of us. "And as you know we have only three junior varsity spots available. Those three spots will be filled by Pamela Claire, Susan Townsen and Scout Curtis?"_

_Casey let out a big screech of excitement as I exhaled and tried to relax. I followed the other new cheerleaders down to the tables set up on the floor as the coached thanked all the others and told them they could go. I lined up with the other six girls as the coach welcomed us onto the squad and handed out folders to each of us. "Ladies these are the cheers I want you to know by the end of the week along with the required equipment you will need to purchase. Practices are Monday through Thursday after school, games are Friday nights. If you plan to miss a practice you should plan to be removed from the squad. A cheerleader is the best representative of the school that we have and I want you all to be first ladies!"_

_After the welcome and rules I ran to Casey who was still bubbling with excitement for me. Together we walked outside to check the parking lot for our ride. Just as expected Two-Bit was laying on the hood of Steve's car soaking up the sunlight._

_"Guess what Two-Bit, guess what, guess what?" Casey ran to him as he sat up and swung his legs over the side of the car._

_"Ya'll made the squad?" Two-Bit grinned._

_"No! Just Scout, isn't it great?" Casey ran around to the driver's side of the car and called out shotgun._

_Two-Bit slid off onto his feet and hugged me. "That's great Scout. I'm real happy for ya."_

_I hugged my friend back and for the first time noticed how good he smelled, for a greaser. I also became aware of his strength. I had always known he was tough, but I had never thought of the wisecracker as strong too. "Thanks Two-Bit." I said and climbed into the backseat._

_As Two-Bit squealed his way out of the parking lot I sifted through the rules, cheers and required equipment list. With each line my heart sank. I had never considered how expensive this was going to be. By the time we were half way home I had grown silent and made a decision I was going to have to decline the invitation to the team._

_At the house Two-Bit and Casey raced inside to be the first to tell everyone the good news. I decided to go in with a happy face. The gang was genuinely proud of me, and Darry most of all. He and Soda led a cheer of their own pretending to have pom pons and using girl voices. All through dinner both of them had a smile permanently attached to their face and Soda and Steve used the good news as an excuse to throw a weekend party at the house._

_By bedtime I was exhausted from my homework and wondered how I would ever keep up. I thought about my academics and decided to use that as a reason to drop out of cheering. It was the perfect excuse because no one could argue that sports was better then good grades._

_"Scout?" Darry knocked on the door and entered my room. The grin was still lingering on his face when he sat on the edge of my bed. "I just wanted to tell you congratulations again. I knew you could do it."_

_I didn't smile. I didn't know how to tell him I wasn't going to be on the squad. I looked into his blue eyes and saw my father grinning back at me. Remembering the financial strain my family went through on a daily basis I sighed and broke the news to my brother. "Darry…. I … I've been thinking about cheerleading and I don't think I am going to have time with all my school work and stuff."_

_Shock replaced his grin. "What? No, I think you will do fine." He tried to help me realize that I could do both._

_I couldn't look at him because tonight he was looking so much like my dad, and I could never lie to my dad. I tried to avoid the thought but then resigned to the truth. I pulled the folder off of my dresser, opened it and pulled out the cost sheet. "Darry, the truth is we can't afford me to be in cheerleading." I handed him the paper and he read down the list._

_Skirt $6.00_

_Sweater $10.00_

_Pom Pons $5.00_

_Saddle shoes $7.00_

_Darry sighed. "Well it is a lot, but I can pick up a few extra Sunday shifts and have it paid off by the end of the month."_

_I threw my head back into my pillow with frustration. "Darry! I don't want you to have to work extra days just so I can do this." I reached up and pulled the list out of his hand. "I'll be fine without it."_

_Darry pulled one leg up onto the bed and leaned toward me slightly. "Scout, it's not a big deal and I am not letting you quit."_

_"It is way to much money!" I argued. "Besides practices are four days a week right after school. I will have no way to get home, and if not safe to walk."_

_Darry looked annoyed by my excuses. "I'll talk to Ponyboy and he can wait after school for you the way you wait for him when he runs track. Plus I am sure Steve or Two-Bit will help out." Darry beamed, "you know they will."_

_I laid back down and through the folder on the floor. Now that I had made the varsity squad there was no way Darry was going to let me loose it. I resigned not to be the martyr and pulled the bed sheet over my body to tuck myself in bed. "Ok… I'll stick with it."_

_"Good!" Darry walked over to the wall and turned off the light. "I am proud of you Scout….and mom and dad would have been proud of you too." Darry pulled my door shut half way and disappeared into the darkness._

_I whispered back to my brother. "They would be proud of you too."_

_**DELETEDSCENE #3 -** This is the final deleted scene. I really struggled with the way the aftermath of Duke's rampage would have been handled in 1966. I wasn't sure if I was right, but I am happy with what I posted. Here was another option I considered. _

_The tall officer retuned from the house. "Ok, you can come on in, but the rest of the boys need to stay clear. Don't touch anything inside or my Captain will have my badge." Darry followed the officer up the front steps and into the house. My brother looked around the living room, but didn't notice me behind the handful of people who were preparing Casey for transportation to the hospital._

_"Um." The officer said to Darry, let's step to the side a moment while they bring her out._

_Darry looked hard at the young girl on the gurney, fearing it was me. "Casey?" He said with partial relief. The crew brought her by Darry and he watched her be taken out the front door._

_Outside the boys notice the second victim being taken to the ambulance. Two-Bit was the first to speak and run toward the stretcher. "Casey? Casey?" Two-Bit looked up at he medic, "She's gonna be alright aint she?" The medic didn't answer as he closed the ambulance up tight for it's rapid journey to the hospital._

_The boys looked toward the door of Casey's house. There was one victim left, and they hadn't brought her out. Sodapop started to weep as Steve helped him to stand. "it's gonna be alright buddy!"_

_As Casey left the home I closed my eyes and leaned my head back against the wall._

_"Scout?" Darry bellowed from across the room and ran to my side. I opened my eyes to see him kneel beside me. Sheer terror on his face as he noticed my white blood covered shirt and bandaged wound on my neck where the second bullet had grazed my skin. "Oh thank god your ok." Darry squeezed me in his arms and held me while I cried._

_We were quickly interrupted by the Captain of the police squad. "Sir, I understand you are responsible for this girl."_

_Darry looked over at the man. "Yes sir, she's my sister."_

_The captain spoke again. "Well I know this is a hard time for you, but we are going to need to ask her a few questions while everything is still fresh in her mind."_

_Darry agreed and asked if he could stay by my side. The officer didn't object. The three of us stepped over to the kitchen doorway where I sat on a chair and repeated everything I had seen. The interview took over an hour as multiple officers asked the same questions over and over only in a different format. As the interview drew to a close the Captain was paged on his radio. Darry and I heard the conversation. "Captian, we lost sight of the black car, the assailant is on the loose."_

_I literally shook with fear. "We got to get out of here! What if he comes back looking for me?"_

_The Captain put his hands on my shoulders. "Now sweetie don't you worry about nothing, we are going to find this guy! You have my word."_

_His word didn't help to calm my fears. I had seen the merciless rage in this man. I grabbed Darry's hand for comfort and heard the Captain tell him he wanted me at the station in an hour for further questioning and a description of the perpetrator. Darry agreed and he helped up from the chair. I tried to walk, but found I was slightly crippled by fear._

_"Scout you ok?" Darry asked as he looked me up and down._

_"I'm scared."_

_My blue eyes met his and he hoisted me up like a baby and whispered. "Don't worry about it baby girl, I've got ya."_

_Darry carried me out the front door into the afternoon sunlight. The gang immediately jumped to their feet and rushed towards us. I heard Sodapop yell out first. "Darry is she ok?"_

_Then Dally, "what the hell happened in there?"_

_Darry told everyone that I was going to be fine and he was taking me home. Inside the house Sodapop started a warm shower for me while an officer waited by the bathroom door to take my clothes away as evidence. While I washed the blood from my body and hair Darry told the boys about the scene in the house and what had transpired._

_I redressed into clean clothes and wandered out to the living room_

_Well that is the end of the commentary and deleted scenes. I hope you enjoyed them and stay tuned for the next installment of the Scout stories. Also a special thanks to SE Hinton for creating characters and a storyline that has filled my head with a great sister story. _

_Thanks! _

_Erin_


End file.
